Govt can’t get free pass on inordinate delays: SC tells HCs

THE RULING CAME WHILE SETTING ASIDE A JUDGMENT OF KARNATAKA HC, WHICH CONDONED DELAY OF II YEARS, BY STATE HOUSING BOARD IN FILING A 2ND APPEAL

- Utkarsh Anand

High courts must not become “surrogates for State laxity and lethargy”, the Supreme Court held on Friday, stressing that common citizens cannot be dragged into perpetual litigation because courts reopen matters at the government’s behest after years of delay.

“We are at pains to reiterate this everlasting trend, and put all the high courts to notice, not to reopen matters with inordinate delay, until sufficient cause exists, as by doing so the courts only add insult to the injury,” a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said.

The ruling came while setting aside a 2017 judgment of the Karnataka high court, which had condoned a delay of 3,966 days, nearly Il years, by the state housing board in filing a second appeal ina civil case.