The Supreme Court has imposed Rs 20,000 cost on a man from Haryana who approached the top court after 827 days delay against a Punjab and Haryana High Court order in a matter related to interest on compensation for acquisition of land.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy deprecated the casual manner of filing an appeal in the case.
The court noted the application filed by appellants, Brijesh Singh and others for condonation of delay showed that all that has been stated therein was that "some" delay took place in the matter, without giving sufficient explanation for it.
It said the petitioners initially did not challenge the award of the Land Acquisition Collector and subsequently, with an enormous delay of 1591 days, they filed the appeal before the High Court because there were other co-sharers who were benefitting.
"The High Court was kind enough to condone the delay but subject to the condition that the petitioners would not be entitled to interest on the enhanced compensation for the period of delay. The present petition has been filed after a delay of 827 days against that order saying that the petitioners should also be entitled to the interest on the compensation for the period of delay," the bench pointed out.
It is a moot point whether at all after such a delay the petitioners ought to have been granted benefit by the High Court. Despite the indulgence shown, the petitioners have not been satisfied with it and casually seeks to walk into this court to claim interest on the compensation, the bench added.
The bench dismissed the plea against the High Court's order of August 21, 2017, saying, "We thus consider it appropriate to burden the petitioners with costs for wastage of judicial time".
(Published 22 August 2021, 12:58 IST)
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