In a Press Note dated March 18, 2026, Rattu Bigha, Dalmianagar, Rohtas based Baba Bir Kunwar Bhumi Raiyat Committee drew attention towards the hearing of a writ petition at the Patna High Court on March 17, 2026 regarding the land situated in Dalmia Nagar,Rohtas. The land in question was acquired by government of Bihar for the the residence of workers of Rohtas Industries Limited.
The petition is concerned with land which was acquired in Ward No. 8, Rattu Bigha, Dalmianagar under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Currently, the company is in the process of liquidation.In this regard a Sale Notice dated February 2, 2026 was published on February 4, 2026 in Hindustan and Hindustan Times. Mithlesh Kumar, son of late Sitaram Singh, resident of Rattu Bigha had written to the District Land Acquisition Officer, Sasaram. In the letter, Kumar submitted that the land which is being sold by the Official Liquidator, was taken by the state government from his ancestor for public purpose, the purpose of which has ended, hence this land should be returned to the original ryot.
But when he did not not get the reply from the officer, Kumar filed his application in the High Court, which was admitted by the Court on March 17 in Court No. 212. The first hearing of case number CWIC 3632/2026 was concluded in the Single Bench of Justice Khatim Reza. Advocate Dr. Gopal Krishna presented his side on behalf of the petitioner, in which Court issued instructions to Bihar Government's advocate Amit Bhushan to file a counter affidavit. During the hearing, the auction process being conducted under the company petition (Rohtas Industries Limited vs .Official Liquidator) was also mentioned.
This petition (Company Petition No.3 of 1984) was filed for winding up of the company before the High Court and in the said petition the High Court on May 22, 1986 had appointed a Provisional Liquidator. During the pendency of the petition, the workmen of the company had moved Supreme Court by filing this writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, which was entertained with the object of reviving the industry and rehabilitating the workmen.
On September 9, 1984, Rohtas Industries Limited had officially closed down completely and went into liquidation.
Notably, on October 18, 1995, Supreme Court delivered its final 13-page long judgment and ordered the resumption of the liquidation process in Workmen of M/S Rohtas Industries vs. Rohtas Industries & Ors. (1995). The judgement concluded:"Before we part with this case, we must say that this is a sad finale to the episode. In order to secure the revival and rehabilitation of a large industrial undertaking, the closure of which was not only a national loss but had also rendered about 10,000 workmen jobless, this Court adopted the unprecedented course of assuming direct control over the functioning of the undertaking. The writ petition are disposed of accordingly with no order as to costs. A copy of this order shall be sent to the Registrar, Patna High Court for being placed before the Company Judge dealing with Company Petition No.3 of 1984. In addition, the following papers be sent with the order : (a) copies of the orders passed by the Court in the Writ Petition. (b) copy of the reports of the BIFR dated April 22, 1988 and May 22, 1995 and the annexures thereto. (c) copy of the report of the Claims Committee and the objections filed against the said report."
Prior to the hearing by Khatim Reza of the High Court, Justice Alok Kumar Sinha heard I.A.s (I.A. Nos. 377 of 2026, 378 of 2026, 379 of 2026 and 380 of 2026) in the company petition-Rohtas Industries Limited vs. Official Liquidator on March 13, 2026. Justice Sinha passed an order which reads: "....the date of opening of seal tender for all the 15 lots (vide two sealed notice) is fixed at 10:30 AM on 20.03.2026. Official Liquidator is directed to inform all the bidders accordingly." He disposed the I.A.s by allowing I.A. Nos. 377 of 2026, 378 of 2026, 379 of 2026 and 380 of 2026 are allowed and disposed of.
With regard to I.A. Nos. 381 of 2026, the order reads:"This Interlocutory Application has been filed by an intervenor who is claiming herself as a right title owner of landed property which is a subject matter of Lot No. 4 of the sale notice dated 02.02.2026. 2. The important aspect of the matter is that the intervenor is claiming right title with regard to the property which is a subject matter of Khata Nos. 20, 42 and 43 whereas Official Liquidator has put the property of Khata No. 61 for sale under Lot No. 4. It is pertinent to mention here that the petitioner’s property and the properties which are subject matter of Lot No. 4 although are in the same Mauja namely, Sohra but the petitioner’s properties relates to Khata Nos. 20, 42 and 43 whereas the property under auction is under Khata No. 61. The online revenue records clearly indicates that the petitioner’s property is quite different from the property mentioned in Lot No. 4. 3. In such view of the matter, I find no merit in this Interlocutory Application and it is, therefore, rejected."
The order further reads: "These reports are filed by the Official Liquidator with a prayer to permit to make payment to the media house namely, Ananya Media Consultancy. 2. The said media house has recently published two sets of sale notices in Hindustan (Hindi) and Hindustan Times (English) having vide circulation in the State of Bihar and raised a bill of Rs. 7,73,262/- and Rs. 6,10,470/- respectively. 3. In view of the submissions made above, OLR Nos. 15 of 2026 and 16 of 2026 are allowed, subject to proper verification of the bills in light of the rate chart approved by this Court vide order dated 01.03.2023. 4. All payment shall be made from the company fund."
Significantly, earlier on July 2, 2021, the official liquidator of the Dalmianagar Industrial Group, Himanshu Shekhar, transferred 47 acres of land belonging to the Dalmianagar Industrial Group to the state government. The official liquidator transferred the land to the state government in the presence of Rohtas District Magistrate Dhamendra Kumar, and the land documents were handed over to the city council's executive officer, Kumar Ritwik. During the transfer, the District Magistrate stated that since the land belonged to the Dalmianagar Industrial Group, the City Council had problems obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the convenience of the residents. Consequently, the residents of the Dalmianagar area were deprived of basic amenities. The Government Liquidator's acquisition of the 47-acre land belonging to the Industrial Group, including schools, drains, streets, and roads, is a historic initiative, ensuring the development of these areas. The Dalmianagar Industrial Group canteen was handed over to the Dehri-Dalmianagar Municipal Council for 11 months to operate as a sub-office (zonal office) for the Dalmianagar Industrial Group. During the transfer, the Government Liquidator noted that this area was once known as the Garden of Chimneys, meaning it housed factories manufacturing all kinds of goods. After investigation by the government office and the government's representative committee from the year 2018, it was possible to dedicate the said land to the Nagar Parishad.
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