Ramgarh, Jan. 24: The battle might not have been as fierce as the Kargil war, but some of the images are strikingly similar. An euphoric jawan holding aloft the Tricolour atop a “captured height” and beaming at his mates.

Closer home, a brigadier, donning victory colours, will unfurl the National Flag on Republic Day at the Football Ground adjacent to the cantonment board office at Ramgarh. The loser in this battle of wit is the state government— the Ramgarh subdivisional officer to be precise — and the arbiter: the Jharkhand High Court.

The SDO is now scouting for a suitable site to hoist the National Flag as his domain has been “hijacked” by the army . The SDO had been unfurling the Tricolour at the Football Ground since 1993, but a recent high court decree has barred him from doing so.

The court order, passed by Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyay earlier this month, has ruled that the cantonment board is the “bonafide” occupant of the ground located in the heart of the town. Cantonment board chief executive officer D.N. Yadav told The Telegraph that since the formation of the Ramgarh subdivision in 1993, the “civil administrator” (SDO) has been unfurling the flag on the ground, located in the command area of the army. “The court finally came to our rescue. It is now our brigadier’s turn to do the honours at the ground.” Sources said the “row” between the cantonment CEO and the SDO erupted up over some issues that eventually landed in court. “The first rift surfaced over the suspension of a lady doctor, Santavna Sharan, at the Cantonment General Hospital. She was charged with dereliction of duty. The SDO was against the move. The second bone of contention was a suggestion made by the subdivisional officer to videograph the meetings of the cantonment board,” sources said.

The army termed it as “interference” in the affairs of the board. However, the subdivisional officer, by virtue of his office, is an ex-officio member of the board. The conflict peaked during Independence Day celebrations last year when the civil as well as the army authorities arrived at the Football Ground to hoist the Tricolour.

To prevent the situation from turning ugly, the administration clamped Section 144 on the ground, restraining anyone from approaching it. The ban has been lifted following the court order, giving the board full access to the land.

The controversial “ground” has been graced by the then Union youth affairs minister, Uma Bharti, external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha and chief minister Babulal Marandi during a foundation-laying ceremony of a stadium after obtaining a no-objection certificate from the defence authorities.

Sources said SDO Rajendra Pratap Sinha’s hunt for a place to unfurl the flag has yielded some results. “He is likely to unfurl the Tricolour at a ground near Bazar Tand in the town,” sources added.