The Patna High Court has directed Bihar authorities to ensure that farmers left out of the crop compensation process are identified and considered for relief without procedural hurdles, while stressing that genuine claimants should not suffer because of technical delays.
A division bench Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar observed that farmers affected by natural disasters cannot be abandoned after their crop losses have already been assessed by the administration.
Background of the Case
The matter arose in Sanjay Kumar vs The State of Bihar & Ors., where concerns were raised regarding compensation for farmers in Muzaffarpur district who allegedly suffered crop damage during the Kharif 2025 season but could not receive benefits under the agricultural input subsidy scheme.
During earlier proceedings, the District Magistrate informed the Court that a detailed crop damage report had already been sent to the Agriculture Department on December 5, 2025. However, compensation could not be processed for some farmers because the DBT-based application portal had closed by then.
On May 12, 2026, the Court directed the Director of Agriculture to personally explain how affected farmers could still receive compensation.
Appearing virtually before the Court, the Director of Agriculture submitted a detailed report outlining the State’s proposed mechanism for identifying and verifying left-out farmers.
According to the report, compensation had already been distributed to 1,11,861 farmers through the online portal, and a total amount of Rs. 33.25 crore had been disbursed after verification.
The State further informed the bench that awareness campaigns had been conducted at village level through local workers and Kisan Salahkars, and notices were also published in newspapers.
To address remaining grievances, a three-member committee has now been formed to conduct field verification in affected panchayats, identify unattended claims, and assess eligibility of farmers who could not apply within the stipulated timeline.
After examining the report, the bench noted that compensation under the scheme remained subject to application, verification, and eligibility requirements. However, the Court emphasized that genuine farmers should not be denied relief merely due to procedural limitations.
In a strong observation, the bench said,
“The farmer who feeds the entire nation cannot be left to fend for himself when natural disaster strikes his field.”
The Court also referred to Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, stating that denial of relief after assessed crop loss may affect the right to livelihood of affected farmers.
The judges further expected district authorities to create proper awareness so that all eligible farmers appear before the verification committee for scrutiny of their claims.
The High Court directed the three-member committee to complete its exercise within the stipulated period and submit a report identifying residual cases, extent of crop damage, and eligibility details.
The Court also ordered the Agriculture Department to file a fresh affidavit before the next hearing specifying the number of left-out farmers identified and details of compensation disbursed to eligible claimants.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on June 24, 2026.
Case Details
Case Title: Sanjay Kumar vs The State of Bihar & Ors.
Case Number: Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 3121 of 2026
Judge: Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar
Decision Date: May 14, 2026
