Dismissed

The Union of India v. Smt. Mithila Devi

Allahabad HC11 Jan 2018FAFOD/490/1997

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

The court rejected an application for condonation of delay and dismissed an appeal filed by The Union Of India against an award under the Workmen Compensation Act. The appeal was barred due to excessive, unexplained delay and the meagre award amount.

What did the court decide?

The appeal was dismissed both for being barred by limitation and on the ground of the meagre amount awarded.

The Union of India Vs Smt. Mithila Devi — Civil Procedure and Limitation | Allahabad HC (2018)

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Court No. - 27

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Case :- FIRST APPEAL FROM ORDER DEFECTIVE No. - 490 of 1997

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Appellant :- The Union Of India Respondent :- Smt. Mithila Devi Counsel for Appellant :- S.C., M.K.Sharma

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Hon'ble Dr. Kaushal Jayendra Thaker,J.

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(Ref: Civil Misc. Delay Condonation Application)

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Heard Sri M.K. Sharma, learned counsel for the appellant.

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There is gross delay of more than five years which is not at all been explained. The explanation given is not viable. Even the amount was not deposited till date. It is not made known whether the amount was ever deposited or not. It is stated at the Bar that objection has been overcome. However, going through the law of limitation as from 1997 not even the first order was passed, the Union of India has not even filed any listing application. The matter was listed today. The delay now would be 24 years as per the office report as the award passed in the year 1992. The appeal filed in the year 1997, we are in the year 2018 even without any first order.

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Hence, in view of the settled legal position reproduced herein in below, this Court feels that there is no reason to entertain the delay condonation application.

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It is true that when State is a party, and file appeal with some delay, it may deserve some leverage for official hierarchical steps for permission etc. but a wholly unexplained, reckless and negligent approach of delay running in almost one and half years and more cannot be overlooked particularly when it is not the case of applicants that they have taken any action against erring individual.

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The expression "sufficient cause" in Section 5 of Act, 1963 has been held to receive a liberal construction so as to advance

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substantial justice and generally a delay in preferring appeal may be condoned in interest of justice where no gross negligence or deliberate inaction or lack of bona fide is imputable to parties, seeking condonation of delay. In Collector, Land Acquisition Vs. Katiji, 1987(2) SCC 107 , the Court said, that, when substantial justice and technical considerations are taken against each other, cause of substantial justice deserves to be preferred, for, the other side cannot claim to have vested right in injustice being done because of a non deliberate delay. The Court further said that judiciary is respected not on account of its power to legalise injustice on technical grounds but because it is capable of removing injustice and is expected to do so.

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6. In P.K. Ramachandran Vs. State of Kerala, AIR 1998

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SC 2276 the Court said:

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"Law of limitation may harshly affect a particular party but it has to be applied with all its rigour when the statute so prescribe and the Courts have no power to extend the period of limitation on equitable grounds."

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The Rules of limitation are not meant to destroy rights of parties. They virtually take away the remedy. They are meant with the objective that parties should not resort to dilatory tactics and sleep over their rights. They must seek remedy promptly. The object of providing a legal remedy is to repair the damage caused by reason of legal injury. The statute relating to limitation determines a life span for such legal remedy for redress of the legal injury, one has suffered. Time is precious and the wasted time would never revisit. During efflux of time, newer causes would come up, necessitating newer persons to seek legal remedy by approaching the courts. So a life span must be fixed for each remedy. Unending period for launching the remedy may lead to unending uncertainty and consequential anarchy. The statute providing limitation is founded on public policy. It is enshrined in the maxim Interest reipublicae up sit finis litium (it is for the general welfare that a period be put to

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litigation). It is for this reason that when an action becomes barred by time, the Court should be slow to ignore delay for the reason that once limitation expires, other party matures his rights on the subject with attainment of finality. Though it cannot be doubted that refusal to condone delay would result in foreclosing the suiter from putting forth his cause but simultaneously the party on the other hand is also entitled to sit and feel carefree after a particular length of time, getting relieved from persistent and continued litigation.

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There is no presumption that delay in approaching the court is always deliberate. No person gains from deliberate delaying a matter by not resorting to take appropriate legal remedy within time but then the words "sufficient cause" show that delay, if any, occurred, should not be deliberate, negligent and due to casual approach of concerned litigant, but, it should be bona fide, and, for the reasons beyond his control, and, in any case should not lack bona fide. If the explanation does not smack of lack of bona fide, the Court should show due consideration to the suiter, but, when there is apparent casual approach on the part of suiter, the approach of Court is also bound to change. Lapse on the part of litigant in approaching Court within time is understandable but a total inaction for long period of delay without any explanation whatsoever and that too in absence of showing any sincere attempt on the part of suiter, would add to his negligence, and would be relevant factor going against him.

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We need not to burden this judgment with a catena of decisions explaining and laying down as to what should be the approach of Court on construing "sufficient cause" under Section 5 of Act, 1963 and it would be suffice to refer a very few of them besides those already referred.

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In Shakuntala Devi Jain Vs. Kuntal Kumari, AIR 1969

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SC 575 a three Judge Bench of the Court said, that, unless want of bona fide of such inaction or negligence as would deprive a party of the protection of Section 5 is proved, the application must not be thrown out or any delay cannot be refused to be condoned.

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The Privy Council in Brij Indar Singh Vs. Kanshi Ram ILR (1918) 45 Cal 94 observed that true guide for a court to exercise the discretion under Section 5 is whether the appellant acted with reasonable diligence in prosecuting the appeal. This principle still holds good inasmuch as the aforesaid decision of Privy Council as repeatedly been referred to, and, recently in State of Nagaland Vs. Lipok AO and others, AIR 2005 SC 2191 .

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In Vedabai @ Vaijayanatabai Baburao Vs. Shantaram Baburao Patil and others, JT 2001(5) SC 608 the Court said that under Section 5 of Act, 1963 it should adopt a pragmatic approach. A distinction must be made between a case where the delay is inordinate and a case where the delay is of a few days. In the former case consideration of prejudice to the other side will be a relevant factor so the case calls for a more cautious approach but in the latter case no such consideration may arise and such a case deserves a liberal approach. No hard and fast rule can be laid down in this regard and the basic guiding factor is advancement of substantial justice.

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In Pundlik Jalam Patil (dead) by LRS. Vs. Executive Engineer, Jalgaon Medium Project and Anr. (2008) 17 SCC 448 , in para 17 of the judgment, the Court said :

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"...The evidence on record suggests neglect of its own right for long time in preferring appeals. The court cannot enquire into belated and state claims on the ground of equity. Delay defeats equity. The court helps those who are vigilant and "do not slumber over their rights."

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In Maniben Devraj Shah Vs. Municipal Corporation of

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Brihan Mumbai, 2012 (5) SCC 157 , in para 18 of the judgment, the Court said as under:

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"What needs to be emphasised is that even though a liberal and justice oriented approach is required to be adopted in the exercise of power under Section 5 of the Limitation Act and other similar statutes, the Courts can neither become oblivious of the fact that the successful litigant has acquired certain rights on the basis of the judgment under challenge and a lot of time is consumed at various stages of litigation apart from the cost. What colour the expression 'sufficient cause' would get in the factual matrix of a given case would largely depend on bona fide nature of the explanation. If the Court finds that there has been no negligence on the part of the applicant and the cause shown for the delay does not lack bona fides, then it may condone the delay. If, on the other hand, the explanation given by the applicant is found to be concocted or he is thoroughly negligent in prosecuting his cause, then it would be a legitimate exercise of discretion not to condone the delay. In cases involving the State and its agencies/instrumentalities, the Court can take note of the fact that sufficient time is taken in the decision making process but no premium can be given for total lethargy or utter negligence on the part of the officers of the State and / or its agencies/instrumentalities and the applications filed by them for condonation of delay cannot be allowed as a matter of course by accepting the plea that dismissal of the matter on the ground of bar of limitation will cause injury to the public interest."

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In our view, the kind of explanation rendered herein does not satisfy the observations of Apex Court that if delay has occurred for reasons which does not smack of mala fide, the Court should be reluctant to refuse condonation. On the contrary, we find that here is a case which shows a complete careless and reckless long delay on the part of applicant which has remain virtually unexplained at all. Therefore, we do not find any reason to exercise our judicial discretion exercising judiciously so as to justify condonation of delay in the present case.

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In view of the above, this application requires to be rejected hence, the same is rejected with cost of Rs.5,000/- to be deposited with the Registry of this Court by the appellant in view of the decision of Salem Bar Association Vs. Union of India, AIR 2003 SC 189.

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Further Order

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On the request of the counsel for the Union of India, the amount of cost shall stand deleted.

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Order Date :- 11.1.2018 DKS

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Court No. - 27

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Case :- FIRST APPEAL FROM ORDER DEFECTIVE No. - 490 of 1997 Appellant :- The Union Of India Respondent :- Smt. Mithila Devi Counsel for Appellant :- S.C., M.K.Sharma

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Hon'ble Dr. Kaushal Jayendra Thaker,J.

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Since this appeal has been filed beyond time and application seeking condonation of delay has been rejected vide order of date, this appeal also requires to be dismissed being barred by limitation and even the amount awarded for the death is also very meagre under the Workmen Compensation Act namely only a sum of Rs.92,000/- for death of their employee.

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Hence, the appeal is dismissed both being barred by limitation and on the smallness of amount also.

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Order Date :- 11.1.2018 DKS

The Union of India v. Smt. Mithila Devi

Case brief

What is this about?

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The Union of India v. Smt. Mithila Devi

Case brief

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