Saroj Devi v. State of Bihar (PMAY, 2023) — verification note

Until July 2026, this page summarised a ruling with these specifics:

• Case: Saroj Devi v. State of Bihar, Patna High Court
• Number and date: CWP/2023/004567, decided 19 July 2023
• Holding: where a PMAY-G instalment was delayed beyond a “90-day Operational Guideline timeline” without recorded reason, mandamus issued to the Block Programme Officer to release the instalment within 7 days, with ₹10,000 cost against the State
• Provision applied: “Section PMAY-G” of the RTI Act, 2005

We re-checked each element against primary sources on 10 July 2026:

1. No such case on Indian Kanoon. Searches for “Saroj Devi” with “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana” / “Awas Yojana” across the Patna High Court and all-courts databases return no matching results. (Saroj Devi is a very common litigant name; no hit matches this subject, court and year.)
2. The case number does not look like a real Patna High Court number. The Patna High Court registers civil writs as Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case (CWJC) No. X of YYYY — “CWP/2023/004567” matches no Patna High Court order we could locate.
3. “Section PMAY-G” does not exist. The RTI Act, 2005 has Sections 1 to 31. PMAY-G is a housing scheme run by the Ministry of Rural Development — it is not a section of any Act.
4. The 7-day-release and ₹10,000-cost rule is unsupported. We found no reported judgment issuing that direction for PMAY-G instalments on these facts.

This is the classic signature of an AI-fabricated citation: a plausible party name, a precise-looking docket number and date, and a clean-sounding holding — none of which can be found in any real database. If you arrived here after seeing this case cited elsewhere, treat that source with caution too.

The good news: you rarely need a court ruling to find out what happened to a PMAY-G instalment, because the scheme's records are public by design.

Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act obliges public authorities to publish scheme records on their own. For PMAY-G this is implemented through AwaasSoft — beneficiary lists, sanction status, instalment (FTO) releases, geo-tagged inspection photos and completion status are all published on the PMAY-G portal (pmayg.nic.in) and its reports site. Before filing anything, pull your own record: see our guide to the AwaasSoft beneficiary list and reports.

Two verified Central Information Commission decisions show how PMAY-subsidy RTIs succeed or fail:

• Sanju v. State Bank of India, File No. CIC/SBIND/A/2022/664170, decided 22 September 2023 (IC Saroj Punhani) — the applicant asked, in effect, why her PMAY subsidy had not arrived. The CPIO's factual reply (the application was made in November 2021, after the MIG-2 window closed on 31 March 2021) was held sufficient, and the Commission noted: “A public authority is also not required to furnish information which require drawing of inferences and/or making of assumptions.” (read the decision)
• Archana Goindi v. State Bank of India, File No. CIC/SBIND/A/2023/645890, decided 23 December 2024 (IC Anandi Ramalingam) — the applicant sought her eligibility status and reasons for non-receipt of the subsidy; the bank's reply that her income exceeded the MIG-I band was held to be an appropriate response and the appeal was dismissed. (read the decision)

The lesson: RTI gets you records and recorded reasons — it is not a grievance-redressal or money-recovery channel. Ask “provide the copy of…” and “provide the recorded reason for…”, never “why haven't you paid me” or “release my instalment”. A well-aimed records request usually reveals exactly where the file is stuck, which is what you need for the next escalation.

1. Pull the public record first. Check your sanction and FTO/instalment status on the PMAY-G portal (AwaasSoft) with your registration number. Our walkthroughs: PMAY-G beneficiary status check and RTI for a PMAY instalment.
2. File a targeted RTI with the authority that holds the file — for PMAY-G in Bihar that is normally the Block Development Officer (BDO) of your block, or the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), both under Bihar's Rural Development Department. Draft it with the AI RTI Drafter. Ask for: copy of the sanction order; FTO number and date for each instalment released; the PFMS/bank rejection reason if a transfer failed; certified copy of file notings on your instalment; your position in the current priority/wait list.
3. Count the 30 days (Section 7(1)) with the Timeline Tracker. Silence is a deemed refusal.
4. First appeal under Section 19(1) within 30 days — the First Appeal Builder formats it for you.
5. Second appeal under Section 19(3): to the Bihar State Information Commission (sic.bihar.gov.in) for the BDO, DRDA and other state/panchayat authorities, or the CIC for banks and central agencies.
6. Run the money grievance in parallel. RTI and grievance are separate tracks: file on CPGRAMS (pgportal.gov.in) or Bihar's own grievance channel under the Bihar Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act, attaching what your RTI uncovered. If the record shows your instalment was sanctioned and then sat unpaid without reason, that documented delay is the foundation for a legal notice or a writ petition before the Patna High Court under Article 226 — with real evidence, not a fake citation.

To: The Public Information Officer,
O/o Block Development Officer, [Block, District], Bihar

Under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, please provide:

1. Certified copy of the sanction order for my house under
   PMAY-G, registration number [XXXX].
2. FTO number and date for each instalment released to me
   so far, and the amount of each.
3. If any instalment is pending, the recorded reason on the
   file for the pendency, and a copy of the relevant file
   noting.
4. If any fund transfer to my account failed, the PFMS/bank
   rejection reason recorded.
5. Name and designation of the officer with whom my file is
   currently pending, per Section 4(1)(b).

Reply is due in 30 days under Section 7(1). If any part is
denied, cite the exact exemption and my right of first appeal
under Section 19(1).

We could not verify it. As of 10 July 2026, no such judgment appears on Indian Kanoon, and the cited number CWP/2023/004567 matches no Patna High Court record we could locate (the court's civil writs are numbered as CWJC). Treat the citation as unreliable and do not use it in any appeal or petition. If you can produce a certified copy of such an order, write to us and we will review this page.

There is no verified ruling laying down a 7-day-release or ₹10,000-cost formula for PMAY-G delays — those specifics came from the unverifiable citation above. High Courts can and sometimes do issue mandamus and award costs where a sanctioned government payment is withheld without reason, but each case turns on its own documented facts. Build your record first: RTI out the sanction order, FTO dates and the recorded reason for delay, then take legal advice.

The public authority that holds your file — usually the Block Development Officer of your block or the District Rural Development Agency, under Bihar's Rural Development Department. Second appeals from these authorities go to the Bihar State Information Commission (sic.bihar.gov.in). For PMAY-U interest subsidy on a home loan, address the RTI to your bank's CPIO; those second appeals go to the Central Information Commission.

Not directly. The CIC said so in Sanju v. SBI (2023) and Archana Goindi v. SBI (2024): RTI yields records and reasons, not the payment itself. But the record it yields — sanction order, FTO trail, rejection reason — is exactly the evidence that makes a CPGRAMS complaint, legal notice or writ petition effective.

Use the PMAY-G portal's public beneficiary search and reports (AwaasSoft) with your registration number — it shows sanction, each instalment, geo-tag photos and completion status. See our AwaasSoft guide. For PMAY-U CLSS, ask your lender for the claim status; see what to do when CLSS subsidy is not credited.

• Indian Kanoon searches for “Saroj Devi” + “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana” / “Awas Yojana” (all courts and Patna HC), run 10 July 2026 — no matching results
• Sanju v. State Bank of India, CIC/SBIND/A/2022/664170, 22 September 2023 — indiankanoon.org/doc/140135539
• Archana Goindi v. State Bank of India, CIC/SBIND/A/2023/645890, 23 December 2024 — indiankanoon.org/doc/119644894
• The Right to Information Act, 2005 — Sections 4(1)(b), 6(1), 7(1), 19
• PMAY-G portal (Ministry of Rural Development) — pmayg.nic.in
• Bihar State Information Commission — sic.bihar.gov.in

• RTI for a delayed PMAY instalment — step by step
• PMAY status stuck? The RTI route
• AwaasSoft beneficiary list and reports guide
• PMAY CLSS subsidy not credited — bank complaint route
• Karnail Singh v. State of Punjab — another PMAY citation that fails verification
• Bhagat Singh v. CIC — PIOs must justify every refusal
• The RTI Act, 2005 — annotated
• Case-law database — overview

For the full escalation sequence from first RTI to Information Commission, see The RTI Playbook.

Editorial verification note · reviewed by Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak · last reviewed 10 July 2026.