Employee Can't Decide Location Of Anganwari Centre, Must Abide By Directions: HP High Court
The Himachal Pradesh High Court upheld the termination of an angwari worker who repeatedly disobeyed the departmental orders to shift the Anganwari Centre from her home to the local Mahila Mandal Bhawan.The Court held it was not her decision to decide the location, she was merely supposed to abide by the directions. Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua remarked that:“It was not for the petitioner...
The Himachal Pradesh High Court upheld the termination of an angwari worker who repeatedly disobeyed the departmental orders to shift the Anganwari Centre from her home to the local Mahila Mandal Bhawan.
The Court held it was not her decision to decide the location, she was merely supposed to abide by the directions.
Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua remarked that:“It was not for the petitioner to decide where to run the Anganwari Centre. As an employee, all that was required of her was to abide by the directions issued… and not to sit over the same and take her independent decisions contrary to the directions.”
The Court further observed that she chose to turn blind eyes and deaf ears to the directions and she repeatedly disobeyed and defied the orders of higher officers in authority.
The petitioner, Lalita Devi ran an Anganwari Centre in District Mandi from her own house. However, there were various complaints against her as her house was far from the village and was at an isolated location.
Thereafter mutiple notices were issued to the petitioner asking her to shift it to the Mahila Mandal Bhawan. She instead ran it from her brother-in-law's house and even entered into an unauthorized rent agreement.
Case Name: Lalita Devi v/s State of H.P. & Ors.
Case No.: CWP No.6988 of 2024
Date of Decision: 13.11.2025
For the Petitioners: Mr.Neel Kamal Sharma, Advocate
For the Respondent: Mr. Vishwadeep Sharma, Additional Advocate General.