SC: Governments can't just walk in when they choose

 "The Supreme Court of India cannot be a place for the governments to walk in when they choose ignoring the period of limitation prescribed."  

The Supreme Court last week slappped a Rs 25,000 cost on Madhya Pradesh government after it filed an appeal in a case after a whopping 663 days.

In a report in Bar and Bench web portal, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Dinesh Maheshwari was cited as saying: "The Supreme Court of India cannot be a place for the governments to walk in when they choose ignoring the period of limitation prescribed." 

"We have raised the issue that if the Government machinery is so inefficient and incapable of filing appeals/petitions in time, the solution may lie in requesting the Legislature to expand the time period for filing limitation for Government authorities because of their gross incompetence. That is not so. Till the Statute subsists, the appeals/petitions have to be filed as per the Statues prescribed."

The MP government had cited unavailability of the documents and bureaucratic process works to justify its delay in filing the appeal in the case. The Apex Court however viewed that the government authorities should pay for wastage of judicial time. 

The court then imposed a cost of Rs 25,000, which will be recovered from the concerned officials whose inaction caused the delay in filing the plea.