P.K. RAMACHANDRANversusSTATE OF KERALA AND ANR.

A                            P.K. RAMACHANDRAN
                                          v.
                         STATE OF KERALA AND ANR.

                              SEPTEMBER 19, 1997

B              •
              [DR. A.S. ANAND AND K. VENKATASWAMI, JJ.]


          limitation :

           Miscellaneous First Appeal-Against judgment and decree of Sub-
C    Court in Arbitration Application-Delay of 565 days in filling appeal-High
     Court condoning the delay-Held, the discretion exercised by High Court
    was neither proper nor judicious-High Court has not recorded any
    satisfaction that explanation for delay was either reasonable or satisfactory,
    which is essential pre-requisite for condonation of delay-Explanation given
D   for the delay cannot be said to be reasonable or satisfactory-law of
    limitation may harshly affect a particular party but it has to be applied with
    all its rigour when the statutes so prescribe and the Courts have no power
    to extend the period of limitation on equitable grounds.

          CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 6514of1997.
E
          From the Judgment and Order dated 23.8.96 of the Kerala High Court
    in C.M.A. No. 1358of1996.

          T.L. Viswanatha Iyer, Mrs. Prasantha Prasad and N. Sudhakaran, Advs.
    for the Appellants.
F                                                                                    r
          P.S. Poti, Mrs. Beena Prakash and G. Prakash, Advs. for the Respondents.

          The following Order of the Court was delivered :

          Leave granted.
G         The respondent-State of Kera/a and Anr. filed Miscellaneous First
    Appeal No. 316/96 against the judgment and decree of the learned Sub Court
    at Kollam in Arbitration Application No. I 08/92. The appeal was barred by 565
    days. The respondents filed an application seeking condonatiori of delay and
    by the order impugned herein, that delay was condoned. The impugned order
H   reads thus :
                                          204
                     P.K. RAMACHANDRAN v. STATE                              205
        "This is an application to condone the delay of 565 days in filing an       A
        appeal. The petition is seriously opposed by the respondent. But
        taking into consideration the avennents contained in the affidavit filed
        in support of the petition to condone the delay, we are inclined to
        allow the petition. The petition stands allowed."

      It would be noticed from a perusal of the impugned order (supra) that         B
the court has not recorded any satisfaction that the explanation for the delay
was either reasonable or satisfactory, which is essential pre-requisite for
condonation of delay.

      That apart, we find that in the application filed by the respondent           C
seeking condonation of delay, the thrust in explaining the delay after 12.5.1995,
is :

            "at that time the Advocate General's office was fed up with so
        many arbitration matters equally important to this case were pending
        for consideration as per the directions of the Advocate General on          D
        2.9.1995."

       This can hardly be said to be a reasonable, satisfactory or even a proper
explanation for seeking condonation of delay. In the reply filed to the
application seeking condonation of delay by the appellant in the High Court,
it is asserted that after the judgment and decree was pronounced by the             E
learned Sub Judge, Kollam on 30.10.1993, the scope for filing of the appeal
was examined by the District Government Pleader, Special Law Officer, Law
Secretary and the Advocate General and in accordance with their 0pinion, it
was decided that there was no· scope for filing the appeal but later on, despite
the opinion referred to above, the appeal was filed as late as on 18.1.1996
without disclosing why it was being filed. The High Court does not appear           F
to have examined the reply filed by the appellant as reference to the same is
conspicuous by its absence from the order. We are not satisfied that in the
facts and circumstances of this case, any explanation, much less a reasonable
or satisfactory one had been offered by the respondent State for condonation
of the inordinate delay of 565 days.                                                G
      Law of limitation may harshly effect a particular party but.it has to be
applied with all its rigour when the statute so prescribes and the Courts have
no power to extend the period of limitation on equitable grounds. The
discretion exercised by the High Court was, thus, neither proper nor judicious.
The order condoning the delay cannot be sustained. This appeal, therefore,          H
    206                     SUPREME COURT REPORTS (1997] SUPP. 4 S.C.R.

A   succeeds and the impugned order is set aside. Consequently, the application
    for condonation of delay filed in the High Court would stand rejected and the
    Miscellaneous First Appeal shall stand dismissed as barred by time. No.
    costs.

    RP.                                                       Appeal dismissed.