- (1.) There is a delay of 1467 days in filing this special leave petition. The explanation is far from satisfactory and is unacceptable.
(2.) The explanation for this long delay is that papers had been transferred from Bikaner to Ganganagar. The application for condonation of delay proceeds to aver: "It is respectfully submitted that some matters were however left out and the Advocate-on-Record for the State received instructions and vakalatnama to file special leave petition in those 22 cases including present case. " ".. The delay has been by reasons of shifting of the Department and records from Bikaner to Ganganagar. " "It is further submitted that the officer incharge took some time in collecting the addresses of the respondent in the individual cases. "
(3.) It is admitted that in all other cases Special Leave Petitions were filed in time. This kind of general statements of misplacing papers have, of late, become a common feature in government appeals. government departments are comfortably, if not generously, staffed and the officers are paid sumptuously out of public funds. The least that is expected of them when they deal with matters involving substantial stakes for the government is to actwith utmost care, diligence and despatch. This kind of vague averments about misplacing of files and of procedural and administrative delays in the context of the fact that the period of limitation is quite known, becomes un-understandable.;