BASANTI BEHERA vs STATE OF ORISSA . — C.A. No. 862/2011

Case Summary: Basanti Behera v. State of Orissa (C.A. No. 862/2011) Outcome: The Supreme Court dismissed Basanti Behera's appeal on November 23, 2011, upholding the High Court's rejection of her challenge to a no-confidence motion. The Court found substantial compliance with statutory requirements under Section 24(2)(a) of the Orissa Grama Panchayats Act, 1964, despite only one member formally signing the requisition notice. The Court reasoned that affidavits submitted by 11 Gram Panchayat members (out of 15 total) expressing loss of confidence constituted part of the requisite notice itself, satisfying procedural mandates. No costs were awarded. Background: Behera, elected Sarpanch in March 2007, was removed after 11 members passed a no-confidence resolution in July 2009. A meeting was convened on August 21, 2009, where the motion was formally adopted, leading to her removal. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.