Bilaspur : The Chhattisgarh High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that challenged the State’s policy governing the purchase and sale of tendu leaves, holding that courts should not interfere in economic and socio-economic policy matters unless there is a clear legal or constitutional violation.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal passed the order on April 7, 2026, in a petition filed by a retired forest officer.
The petitioner had argued that the State was not fixing the purchase price of tendu leaves in accordance with the Chhattisgarh Tendupatta (Vyapar Viniyaman) Adhiniyam, 1964. He also challenged a 2009 government order that introduced a profit-sharing model instead of direct purchase pricing. According to him, tendu leaf collectors were being paid based on “collection rates” rather than a legally mandated “purchase price,” resulting in financial loss over several years.
The plea further sought retrospective calculation of dues from 2007 to 2021 and payment of any shortfall with interest to individual collectors.
However, the State defended its policy, stating that the trade in tendu leaves is carried out through a cooperative structure led by the Chhattisgarh Rajya Laghu Vanopaj (Vyapar Evam Vikas) Sahkari Sangh. It argued that this model ensures fair distribution of profits, with around 80% of earnings going directly to collectors, while the remaining funds are used for forest-based economic activities and risk management.
The Court noted that the tendu leaf trade framework is rooted in a statutory scheme that grants the State a monopoly to regulate and manage the trade through authorized agents. It also observed that the cooperative system was designed to protect forest dwellers from exploitation by private traders and middlemen.
Importantly, the bench emphasized that matters involving economic policy fall within the domain of the executive, and courts should exercise restraint in such cases. Relying on established principles laid down by the Supreme Court, the Court reiterated that judicial review is limited to examining legality, not the wisdom or effectiveness of policy decisions.
The judges also found that the petition suffered from significant delay, as the 2009 order was challenged only in 2021 without any convincing explanation. Additionally, the Court held that the petitioner failed to demonstrate any substantial public interest or evidence of exploitation of tendu leaf collectors under the current system.
Concluding that the State’s policy does not violate any statutory or constitutional provisions and is in fact aimed at supporting forest-dependent communities, the Court dismissed the PIL.
The ruling reinforces the principle that courts will not interfere in policy decisions unless there is a clear breach of law or fundamental rights.
Case Details : WPPIL No. 113 of 2021, Shri Krishna Shukla vs State of Chhattisgarh and Others