High Court Kerala High Court

Balan vs Kumaran on 29 May, 2008

Kerala High Court
Balan vs Kumaran on 29 May, 2008
       

  

  

 
 
  IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM

RSA.No. 661 of 2005()


1. BALAN, S/O.ARAMUGHAN, PADINJARE PURAKKAL
                      ...  Petitioner

                        Vs



1. KUMARAN, S/O.AYYAPPAN @ APPU,
                       ...       Respondent

2. RAMAN, S/O. DO.

3. SUBRAMANIAN, S/O. DO.

4. SAROJINI, D/O. DO.

5. CHANDRAN, S/O.ARUMUGHAN, DO. DO.

6. GOVINDAN, DO. DO.

                For Petitioner  :SRI.T.KRISHNAN UNNI (SR.)

                For Respondent  :SRI.C.MURALIKRISHNAN (PAYYANUR)

The Hon'ble MR. Justice K.P.BALACHANDRAN

 Dated :29/05/2008

 O R D E R
              K.P.BALACHANDRAN, J.
          ------------------------------------------------
           C. M. Application No.429 of 2005 &
                  R. S. A. No.661 of 2005
          ------------------------------------------------
           Dated this the 29th day of May, 2008

                         JUDGMENT

This appeal is posted at Bench today as

steps are not taken for notice being issued to

respondents 2, 5 and 6 on C.M. Application

No.429/05 seeking condonation of delay of as

much as 294 days in filing the appeal. The

judgment under appeal was passed on 10/04/03

and this appeal is filed after more than two

years on 16/05/05. Application for copy of

judgment is seen filed on 22/04/03 and the

date notified to receive copy was 06/05/04.

According to the appellant/petitioner, the

appeal should have been filed on or before

24/07/04, but could be filed only on 16/05/05.

For the delay of 294 days in filing the

appeal, the reason stated by the appellant in

the affidavit filed by him in support of C.M.

R. S. A. No.661 of 2005 -2-

Application No.429/05 is that soon after

receipt of copy of judgment appealed against,

the clerk attached to the office of the lawyer

sent letter intimating that copy has been

received, but the letter was not received by

him and he was under the impression that he

will be intimated on receipt of copy and that

he went over to the office of the lawyer and

made enquiries on 16/04/05 as he did not get

any intimation and only then could he know

that copy was received long back and a letter

was sent to him. It is his further case that

as the courts were closed for summer holidays

the appeal was filed only on the reopening of

courts. In short, the appellant is attributing

reasons for delay to non-receipt of letter

issued by the lawyer’s clerk to him. The said

averment is not supported by the lawyer’s

clerk and the affidavit is filed by the

appellant behind the back of his lawyer’s

R. S. A. No.661 of 2005 -3-

clerk. Assigning some reason or the other is

no ground to have delay of 294 days condoned

and to have the appeal received on file. There

is no meaning in retaining the C.M.

Application on file after three years of its

filing especially when no steps are taken to

complete service on the delay condonation

application. The request made by the counsel

for more time to complete service of notice on

the delay condonation application does not

deserve any consideration in the circumstances

in which the delay of 294 days has been caused

in filing the appeal and there is no just and

sufficient cause to condone the said delay.

In the result, I dismiss this C.M.

Application. Consequently, the R.S.A also

stands dismissed.

K.P.BALACHANDRAN,
JUDGE
kns/-