Tribunal directed to hear and preferably dispose of the long-pending original application within six months.

The petitioner filed a writ petition seeking expeditious disposal of Original Application No. 253 of 2024 (LRTT), pending before the First Bench of the West Bengal Land Reforms and Tenancy Tribunal.

The Tribunal had fixed the matter for hearing on 12 November 2026, although the original application had been pending since 2024.

During the writ proceedings, CAN 1 of 2026 was filed seeking expunging of the name of respondent no. 13, Supriya Das, who had died, and substitution of the heirs and legal representatives of respondent no. 17, Anil Chandra Roy alias Alin Chandra Roy, who had also died.

The private respondents objected that one application had been filed for both purposes and was therefore not maintainable.

Whether a single application seeking both expunging of the name of a deceased respondent and substitution of the legal representatives of another deceased respondent was maintainable, or liable to be rejected on that procedural ground.

Whether the High Court should issue directions for expeditious disposal of the petitioner’s pending original application before the Tribunal.

The Court applied the procedural principle that objections founded solely on technicalities should not defeat a procedurally sufficient application where the necessary explanation and reliefs are clearly set out.

It further applied the principle that constitutional courts may issue appropriate directions to secure expeditious adjudication of proceedings pending before a statutory tribunal, particularly where the matter has remained pending for a considerable period.

No specific statutory provision or judicial precedent was cited in the judgment.

The Court rejected the respondents’ objection because it considered the challenge to the single application to be based on mere hyper-technicality; on examining CAN 1 of 2026, the Court found sufficient explanation for both the expunging and substitution sought.

It therefore directed that respondent no. 13’s name be expunged and that the heirs and legal representatives of respondent no. 17 be substituted.

As to the writ petition, the Court noted that the original application had been pending since 2024 and that the next hearing was scheduled only for 12 November 2026.

Considering the delay and the petitioner’s limited prayer for expeditious hearing, the Court requested the Tribunal to take up the matter on the scheduled date and dispose of it preferably within six months from communication of the order.

The name of respondent no. 13, Supriya Das, was directed to be expunged, and the heirs and legal representatives of respondent no. 17, Anil Chandra Roy alias Alin Chandra Roy, were directed to be substituted as respondent nos. 17A, 17B, 17C and 17D; the petitioner was directed to amend the cause title accordingly.

WPLRT 122 of 2026 was disposed of with a request to the First Bench of the West Bengal Land Reforms and Tenancy Tribunal to dispose of OA 253 of 2024 (LRTT) as expeditiously as possible, preferably within six months from communication of the judgment, by taking it up on 12 November 2026.

No allegations in the writ petition were treated as admitted, since no affidavits had been invited, and there was no order as to costs.