The Himachal Pradesh High Court has cancelled the state government’s decision to move Manlog Badog village from one gram panchayat to another. The court said the decision taken by the government was unfair and unreasonable.
The case was heard by a division bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma. The bench set aside the state government’s notification issued on January 27, 2026.
The government had decided to remove Manlog Badog village from Hanuman Badog Gram Panchayat and merge it with Darlaghat Gram Panchayat.
However, local groups opposed the decision. A writ petition was filed in the court by the Nehru Yuva Club and the Mahila Mandal Manlog Badog. They challenged the government’s move and requested the court to cancel the notification.
After hearing the case and examining the records, the court ruled in favour of the petitioners. The judges said the government’s decision was “manifestly arbitrary, unreasonable and irrational”.
The court also questioned why the state government started such a large reorganisation process when panchayat elections are due soon.
According to the judges, the five-year term of panchayati raj institutions has already ended. Under the Constitution, elections must be completed by May 31. The court said that making major administrative changes at such a late stage could delay the election process.
The bench warned that actions taken close to election deadlines may appear to be delaying tactics. Such hurried decisions may also contain legal mistakes, which can later lead to court challenges.
Because of these concerns, the court decided to cancel the government’s notification. It also cancelled a related delimitation notification issued on February 2.
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While examining the case, the court also looked at the geographical and administrative reasons given by the government for shifting the village.
The judges noted that Manlog Badog and Hanuman Badog are neighbouring villages located only about two to three kilometres apart. They are connected by a panchayat road of about 2.5 kilometres.
Despite this, the state government tried to justify the change by calculating the distance between the villages using a much longer route. This route went through areas like Piplughat and Damlanaghati.
The court strongly criticised this method of measuring distance. The judges said such calculations were unrealistic and illogical.
To explain their point, the bench gave a simple example. They said it would be like measuring the distance between Himachal Bhawan and Haryana Bhawan in Delhi by travelling through Connaught Place instead of using the direct route.
The court also compared it to calculating the distance between Shimla and Solan by going through Bilaspur, which would unnecessarily increase the distance.
According to the judges, such reasoning clearly showed that the government’s decision was not based on practical or logical considerations.
The court also looked at the population of the villages and panchayats involved in the case. Manlog Badog has a population of about 280 people.
In comparison, Hanuman Badog gram panchayat has around 1,500 residents, while Darlaghat gram panchayat has nearly 4,500 residents.
The bench said it was unreasonable to remove a small village from a nearby panchayat and merge it with another much larger panchayat. The judges said such decisions should consider important factors like geographical closeness, convenience for residents, and population balance.
According to the court, these factors were ignored when the government issued the notification.
Because of these problems, the high court set aside both the January 27 notification and the February 2 delimitation order.
The court also gave clear directions to the authorities. It asked the government to issue fresh notifications regarding the constitution and delimitation of the concerned panchayats.
The judges directed that the new notifications should be issued within five days.
Legal experts say the judgment highlights the importance of fairness and transparency in administrative decisions. Government authorities must ensure that decisions about village boundaries and panchayat areas are based on practical and logical reasons.
The case also shows how local communities can challenge government decisions through the legal system if they believe the decisions are unfair.
For the residents of Manlog Badog village, the court’s decision means they will remain part of the Hanuman Badog gram panchayat for now.
The judgment also sends a message to authorities that administrative changes, especially before elections, must be carefully planned and legally sound.
Overall, the high court’s ruling emphasises that governance decisions must respect ground realities, public convenience, and constitutional rules.
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