State Of Manipur And 2 Others vs Usham Dharmaraj Meetei And Another
2026 Latest Caselaw 675 Mani

Manipur High Court

State Of Manipur And 2 Others vs Usham Dharmaraj Meetei And Another on 13 February, 2026

Author: A.Guneshwar Sharma

Bench: A.Guneshwar Sharma

SHAMURAILATPAM                       Digitally signed by SHAMURAILATPAM
                                     SUSHIL SHARMA
SUSHIL SHARMA                        Date: 2026.02.13 18:25:57 +05'30'

                                                                       Sl. No. 18
                        IN THE HIGH COURT OF MANIPUR
                                  AT IMPHAL

                              MC(WA) No. 64 of 2025

               State of Manipur and 2 others
                                                    Applicants
                                      Vs.
               Usham Dharmaraj Meetei and another

                                               Respondents

                                 BEFORE
               HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE MR. M. SUNDAR
              HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE A.GUNESHWAR SHARMA

                                       ORDER

(Order of the court was made by M. Sundar, CJ)

13.02.2026

[1] Captioned MC has been filed with a condonation of delay

(CoD) prayer qua 217 (two hundred seventeen) days delay in filing an

intra-court appeal i.e., 'Writ Appeal' ('WA') assailing 'judgment and order

dated 21.10.2024 made in WP(C) No. 736 of 2019' ('impugned order' for

the sake of convenience and clarity).

[2] Mr. Phungyo Zingkhai, learned State Counsel for the State

applicants (3 applicants, State collectively) is before this Court.

[3] There are 2 (two) respondents and as regards R2, Mr. S.

Suresh, learned counsel on record has already submitted that he is not

opposing captioned CoD MC and this has been duly recorded by this Court

in and vide judicial order/proceedings made in the listing on 26.09.2025.

[4] As regards R1, learned counsel on record led by Mr. Y.

Nirmolchand, learned senior advocate is before this Court.

[5] Learned senior advocate submits that though the State has

come up with an additional affidavit in an effort to explain the delay

sought to be condoned, more than 60 (sixty) days out of the 217 (two

hundred seventeen) days delay sought to be condoned remains

unexplained. Learned senior advocate submits that Ms. Erica, learned

counsel on record who is instructing him, will file an affidavit-in-

opposition and bring it on record.

[6] In the aforesaid scenario, learned State Counsel brings to

the notice of this Court that R1 has filed a contempt case being

Cont.Cas(C) No. 119 of 2025 complaining a breach/non-compliance qua

impugned order of Hon'ble Single Judge but counsel on record for R1 is

requesting for time for filing affidavit-in-opposition and on earlier

occasions/listings also time has been taken on same ground.

[7] Responding to the above submission of learned State

Counsel, Mr. Y. Nirmolchand, learned senior advocate, on instructions,

submitted that the aforesaid contempt case viz., Cont.Cas(C) No. 119 of

2025 will not be pressed for hearing until disposal of the captioned CoD

application. This submission (made on instructions) is recorded as an

undertaking given to this court by R1. This means that the contempt case

before Hon'ble Single Bench will stand adjourned and await the outcome

of captioned CoD application.

[8] Let the matter stand over by 4 (four) weeks to enable R1

to file affidavit-in-opposition and bring it on board.

[9]           List on 13.03.2026.




                     JUDGE                               CHIEF JUSTICE
Sushil