The Supreme Court has deprecated the “inordinate delays” by government authorities in filing appeals before it, and said they “must pay for wastage of judicial time” and such costs can be recovered from officers responsible.
The bench comprising of Justices S.K Kaul and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari stated that the apex court cannot be a place for the governments to walk in when they choose to ignore the period of limitation prescribed in the statute.
“We’ve got raised the problem that if the federal government equipment is so inefficient and incapable of submitting appeals/petitions in time, the answer could lie in requesting the Legislature to develop the time interval for submitting limitation for presidency authorities due to their gross incompetence. That’s not so,” stated the bench.
“We’re constrained to pen down an in-depth order as it seems that all our counselling to authorities has fallen on deaf ears i.e., the Supreme Court docket of India can’t be a spot for the governments to stroll in after they select ignoring the interval of limitation prescribed,” asserted the court.
“Until the statute subsists, the appeals/petitions should be filed as per the statues prescribed,” the bench mentioned in its order whereas coping with an attraction filed by Madhya Pradesh after a delay of 663 days. It added a “preposterous proposition” is sought to be propounded that if there’s some advantage within the case, the interval of delay is to be given a go-by.
The bench went on to dismiss the appeal on the ground of delay and imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on Madhya Pradesh while citing that it has to be deposited within four weeks with the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee.
The amount be recovered from the officers responsible for the delay in filing the special leave petition and a certificate of recovery of the said amount be also filed in this court within the said period of time, it said.
The top court said no action is taken against the officers, who sit on the files and do nothing, and it is presumed that the court would condone the delay.
“We are thus, constrained to send a signal and we propose to do in all matters today, where there are such inordinate delays that the government or state authorities coming before us must pay for wastage of judicial time which has its own value. Such costs can be recovered from the officers responsible,” the bench said.
