Umakant Singh v. The Union Of India
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No.3863 of 2024 ====================================================== Umakant Singh Son of Late Singheswar Singh, resident of Village- Ladaura, P.O.- Ladaura, P.S.- Kalyanpur, District- Samastipur, presently- Secretary Ajit Kumar Mehta Sanskrit Shikshan Sansthan, Samastipur. ... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
1.
The Union of India through the Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources Development (Education Department), Sanskrit-II, Government of India, New Delhi.
2.
The Principal Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Government of Bihar, Patna.
3.
The Examination Controller, Central Sanskrit University, 56-57 Institutional Area, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058.
... ... Respondent/s ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh, Adv.
For the UoI :
Mr. Arun Kumar Satyamurti, CGC For the State :
Mr. Sunil Kumar Mandal, SC-3 Mr. Bittu Kumari, AC to SC-3 ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE HARISH KUMAR ORAL ORDER 14-07-2026 Heard Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh, learned Advocate for the petitioner; Mr. Arun Kumar Satyamurti, learned Advocate for the Union of India, as well as learned Advocate for the State.
2. The present writ petition has been filed by the petitioner, claiming to be the Secretary of Ajit Kumar Mehta Sanskrit Shikshan Sansthan, Hadaura, Samastipur, seeking a direction upon respondent no. 3, the Examination Controller, Central Sanskrit University, to furnish photocopies of the answer sheets of the students of Acharya First Year Examination, 2018, who are stated to have deposited the
Patna High Court CWJC No.3863 of 2024(4) dt.14-07-2026 2/3 requisite fee for the said purpose.
3. At the outset, it is evident that the present writ petition has been filed after an inordinate delay of nearly six years from the examination in question. No satisfactory explanation has been furnished for such an extraordinary delay. It is well settled that a writ court, in exercise of its discretionary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, ordinarily does not entertain stale or belated claims in the absence of a plausible explanation. Apart from the aforesaid delay, the petitioner has failed to furnish the essential particulars of the students whose answer sheets are sought, such as their names, roll numbers, registration numbers, or any other identifying details. In the absence of such material particulars, no effective or meaningful direction can be issued to the Examination Controller.
4. This Court further notices that none of the students, who are the persons directly affected and in whose favour the relief has been sought, have joined the writ petition. The present writ petition has been filed solely by the Secretary of the institution, without any of the concerned students approaching this Court or authorising the petitioner to seek the relief on their behalf. In such circumstances, the maintainability of the writ
Patna High Court CWJC No.3863 of 2024(4) dt.14-07-2026 3/3 petition itself becomes doubtful.
5. For all the aforesaid reasons, this Court finds no justification to invoke its extraordinary writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.
6. Accordingly, the writ petition stands dismissed.
7. It is, however, made clear that the dismissal of the present writ petition shall not preclude any of the concerned students, if so advised and if otherwise entitled in law, from approaching the appropriate forum or this Court for redressal of their individual grievances against the action of the Examination Controller, Central Sanskrit University.
8. With the aforesaid observations and liberty, the writ petition stands disposed of.
(Harish Kumar, J) rohit/- U