Punjab-Haryana High Court
Kulwant Singh vs State Of Punjab And Others on 5 February, 2025
Neutral Citation No:=2025:PHHC:016824
CWP-3247-2025 1
138
IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA
AT CHANDIGARH
CWP-3247-2025
Date of Decision:05.02.2025
KULWANT SINGH ......... Petitioner
Versus
STATE OF PUNJAB AND OTHERS ..... Respondents
CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE JAGMOHAN BANSAL
Present : Mr. Saurabh Savara, Advocate for the petitioner.
Mr. Aman Dhir, DAG, Punjab.
Mr. Sumeet Jain, Advocate with
Mr. Himahshu Arora, Advocate
for the respondent-U.T. Chandigarh.
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JAGMOHAN BANSAL, J. (Oral)
1. The petitioner through instant petition under Articles
226/227 of the Constitution of India is seeking direction to respondent to
pay 100% instead of 50% subsistence allowance for the period from
10.02.2009 to 29.01.2010.
2. The petitioner during the aforesaid period was placed under
suspension. He came to be reinstated vide order dated 18.07.2011
(Annexure P-7). In the said order, it was made clear that he will not be
paid more than what he has already been paid during the suspension
period. The relevant extracts of order dated 18.07.20211 are reproduced
as below:
"In view of the judgment dated 01.06.2011 of Hon'ble
High Court of Punjab and Haryana and the above
said circumstances of the case, now at this stage, no
action is warranted, so the departmental enquiry
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against HC (PR) Kulwant Singh No.82/528 (912/CP)
3-IRB//696 is consigned to be filed. He will not be
paid more than that what he has already been paid
during his suspension period."
3. The petitioner is assailing said order by way of instant
petition. The said order was an appealable order and petitioner opted not
to file appeal against said order. A period of 13 years from the said order
has passed away. There is no explanation for the aforesaid inordinate
delay.
4. This Court, at this belated stage, especially when there is no
reasonable explanation for delay of more than a decade, cannot ask the
State or its instrumentality to consider claim of petitioner.
5. No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to when the High
Court should refuse to exercise its jurisdiction in favour of a party who
moves it after considerable delay and is otherwise guilty of laches.
Discretion must be exercised judiciously and reasonably. In the event that
the claim made by the applicant is legally sustainable, delay should be
condoned. Where illegality is manifest, it cannot be sustained on the sole
ground of laches. When substantial justice and technical considerations
are pitted against each other, the cause of substantial justice deserves to
be preferred. State cannot deprive vested right because of a non-
deliberate delay.
6. A two Judge Bench of Supreme Court recently in 'Mrinmoy
Maity Vs. Chhanda Koley and others' 2024 SCC OnLine SC 551 has
held that High Court ought to dismiss petition on the ground of delay and
laches where there is no explanation of delay. An applicant who
approaches the Court belatedly or in the other words sleeps over his
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rights for a considerable period ought not to be granted the extraordinary
relief by writ Courts. Delay defeats equity. High Court may refuse to
invoke its writ jurisdiction if laxity on the part of applicant has allowed
the cause of action to drift away and attempts are made to rekindle the
lapsed cause of action. Multiple communications cannot create cause of
action. The relevant extracts of the judgment are reproduced as below:
"9. Having heard rival contentions raised and on perusal
of the facts obtained in the present case, we are of the
considered view that writ petitioner ought to have been non-
suited or in other words writ petition ought to have been
dismissed on the ground of delay and latches itself. An
applicant who approaches the court belatedly or in other
words sleeps over his rights for a considerable period of
time, wakes up from his deep slumber ought not to be
granted the extraordinary relief by the writ courts. This
Court time and again has held that delay defeats equity.
Delay or latches is one of the factors which should be born
in mind by the High Court while exercising discretionary
powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. In a
given case, the High Court may refuse to invoke its
extraordinary powers if laxity on the part of the applicant to
assert his right has allowed the cause of action to drift away
and attempts are made subsequently to rekindle the lapsed
cause of action.
10. The discretion to be exercised would be with care and
caution. If the delay which has occasioned in approaching
the writ court is explained which would appeal to the
conscience of the court, in such circumstances it cannot be
gainsaid by the contesting party that for all times to come
the delay is not to be condoned. There may be myriad
circumstances which gives rise to the invoking of the
extraordinary jurisdiction and it all depends on facts and
circumstances of each case, same cannot be described in a
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straight jacket formula with mathematical precision. The
ultimate discretion to be exercised by the writ court depends
upon the facts that it has to travel or the terrain in which the
facts have travelled.
11. For filing of a writ petition, there is no doubt that no
fixed period of limitation is prescribed. However, when the
extraordinary jurisdiction of the writ court is invoked, it has
to be seen as to whether within a reasonable time same has
been invoked and even submitting of memorials would not
revive the dead cause of action or resurrect the cause of
action which has had a natural death. In such circumstances
on the ground of delay and latches alone, the appeal ought
to be dismissed or the applicant ought to be non-suited. If it
is found that the writ petitioner is guilty of delay and latches,
the High Court ought to dismiss the petition on that sole
ground itself, in as much as the writ courts are not to indulge
in permitting such indolent litigant to take advantage of his
own wrong. It is true that there cannot be any waiver of
fundamental right but while exercising discretionary
jurisdiction under Article 226, the High Court will have to
necessarily take into consideration the delay and latches on
the part of the applicant in approaching a writ court."
7. Applying the aforesaid judgment, this Court finds no
explanation for delay in the instant case. The present petition deserves to
be dismissed on the ground of delay and laches and accordingly
dismissed.
( JAGMOHAN BANSAL )
JUDGE
05.02.2025
Ali
Whether speaking/reasoned Yes/No
Whether Reportable Yes/No
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