Delhi Jal Board Vs Bhupendra Singh Pal — Delhi HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

Delhi Jal Board Vs Bhupendra Singh Pal — Delhi HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Appeal effectively rejected in substance: the Division Bench found no ground to challenge the Single Judge's Order and did not remove the deposit condition. Accommodating the unintentional delay in obtaining the Demand Draft, it granted ten days from 16.07.2025 for deposit of the entire awarded amount inclusive of interest with the Registry; on such deposit the Single Judge's four-week window is treated as extended and the Industrial Award remains stayed; no further extension will be given, failing which the respondent may proceed to execute the Award. The appeal and the pending application (CM APPL. 41718/2025) were disposed of in these terms; the exemption applications (CM APPL. 41719/2025 and 41720/2025) were allowed/disposed of.

Issue for consideration

Whether grounds exist to challenge the learned Single Judge's Order dated 12.12.2024 in W.P.(C) 11854/2024 conditioning the stay of the Industrial Award on deposit of the entire awarded amount, inclusive of interest, with the Registry — and whether such an LPA against that Order is maintainable at all. +1 more

Court's answer

No ground was seen by the Division Bench to challenge the learned Single Judge's Order dated 12.12.2024; the Court observed that the appeal may not even be maintainable in view of Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Krishan Kumar & Ors., 2025:DHC:321-DB, yet proceeded to act on the facts and circumstances of the case.

Ratio / Principle

On the appellant depositing the entire awarded amount, inclusive of interest, with the Registry of this Court within a period of ten days from the date of this judgment, the time granted by the learned Single Judge by the Impugned Order shall be treated as having been extended and the impugned Award shall remain stayed.

Key takeaways

The time granted by the learned Single Judge under the Impugned Order is to be treated as extended upon timely deposit, and the impugned Industrial Award shall remain stayed while that condition stands satisfied.ratio¶21
No further extension shall be granted for the deposit; in case the amount is not deposited within time, the respondent shall be at liberty to seek execution of the Industrial Award impugned in the Writ Petition.ratio¶22

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

LPA 437/2025 — Delhi Jal Board v. Bhupendra Singh Pal — High Court of Delhi (Division Bench: Navin Chawla & Renu Bhatnagar, JJ.; decision 16.07.2025). The appellant DJB challenged the learned Single Judge's Order dated 12.12.2024 in W.P.(C) 11854/2024 (Delhi Jal Board v. Bhupendra Singh Pal), which had granted four weeks to deposit the entire awarded amount, inclusive of interest, with the Registry of the Court as a condition for grant of stay of an Industrial Award impugned in that Writ Petition. The Division Bench saw no ground to sustain the challenge, noting that the appeal 'may even not be maintainable' in view of Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Krishan Kumar & Ors., 2025:DHC:321-DB; however, considering the facts and circumstances — specifically an unintentional delay in procuring the Demand Draft — it directed that deposit of the entire awarded amount, inclusive of interest, within ten days would result in the Single Judge's period being treated as extended, with the impugned Award remaining stayed. No further extension was to be granted; on failure to deposit within time, the respondent would be free to seek execution of the Industrial Award. The appeal and pending application were disposed of accordingly.

$~121

* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

Date of decision: 16.07.2025

LPA 437/2025 DELHI JAL BOARD .....Appellant Through: Ms.Sangeeta Bharti, Standing Counsel for DJB with Ms.MalviBalyan, Adv.

versus BHUPENDRA SINGH PAL .....Respondent Through: Mr.Jawahar Raja, Ms.Meghna De, Ms.Surbhi and Mr.Ritwik Raj, Advs.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE NAVIN CHAWLA HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE RENU BHATNAGAR

NAVIN CHAWLA, J. (ORAL)

CM APPL. 41719/2025 (Exemption)

Allowed, subject to all just exceptions.

CM APPL. 41720/2025

This is an application seeking exemption from filing the complete record of the Writ Petition.

For the reasons stated in the application, the same is allowed.

The application is disposed of.

LPA 437/2025 & CM APPL. 41718/2025

This appeal has been filed by the appellant challenging the Order dated 12.12.2024 passed by the learned Single Judge of this Court in W.P.(C) 11854/2024, titled Delhi Jal Board v. Bhupendra Singh Pal , whereby the learned Single Judge granted four weeks’ time to the appellant to deposit the entire awarded amount inclusive of interest with the Registry of this Court as a condition for grant of stay

Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed LPA 437/2025 By:REYMON VASHIST Signing Da te:2 2.07.2025 12:08:51

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of the Industrial Award impugned in the petition.

The learned counsel for the appellant submits that there was an unintentional delay in getting the Demand Draft and further prays for a direction to the Registry to take the re-validated Demand Draft in favour of the respondent on record.

We do not see any ground being made out to challenge this Order. The same may even not be maintainable in view of the Judgment in Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Krishan Kumar & Ors. , 2025:DHC:321-DB. However, keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, we direct that on the appellant depositing the entire awarded amount, inclusive of interest, with the Registry of this Court within a period of ten days from today, the time granted by the learned Single Judge by the Impugned Order shall be treated as having been extended and the impugned Award shall remain stayed.

As we have extended the period for deposit, we make it clear that no further extension shall be granted for the same and in case the amount is not deposited within time, the respondent shall be at liberty to seek execution of the Industrial Award impugned in the Writ Petition.

The appeal and the pending application are disposed of in the above terms.

NAVIN CHAWLA, J

RENU BHATNAGAR, J

JULY 16, 2025/sg/ik

Signature Not Verified

Digitally Signed LPA 437/2025 By:REYMON VASHIST Signing Da te:2 2.07.2025 12:08:51

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