Unexplained delay and absence of cogent reasons for laches warrant dismissal of writ appeal.

The Appellant, a 69-year-old resident of Janjgir-Champa, filed a writ appeal challenging the order dated 09.04.2025 passed by a Single Judge in WP S No. 1950/2024.

The underlying writ petition had been dismissed by the Single Judge.

Along with the appeal, the Appellant filed I.A. No. 01/2026, seeking condonation of a 90-day delay in preferring the writ appeal.

No one appeared on behalf of the Appellant to press the application or the appeal during the hearing.

Whether the Appellant provided sufficient cause or a plausible explanation to condone the 90-day delay in filing the writ appeal under the doctrine of limitation.

The Court applied the doctrine of "delay and laches," establishing that stale claims or those barred by limitation should generally be rejected unless a "continuing wrong" is demonstrated.

It relied on Union of India v. Tarsem Singh (2008) 8 SCC 652, which held that service-related claims must be filed within a reasonable time and that delay renders a claim stale.

Further, it applied C. Jacob v. Director of Geology and Mining (2008) 10 SCC 115, which posits that representations regarding stale matters do not revive a dead claim or furnish a fresh cause of action, and that courts should not exercise misplaced sympathy to encourage indiscipline or financial burdens on the exchequer.

The Division Bench observed that the Appellant failed to offer any "plausible explanation" or "cogent reason" for the inordinate delay of 90 days in the application for condonation.

The Court noted the respondents' contention that the appeal was barred by laches and lacked any justificatory grounds.

Aligning with the cited precedents, the Court reasoned that since the Appellant did not meet the legal threshold for explaining the delay, the discretionary power to condone limitation could not be exercised, as the claim had become stale.

Consequently, I.A. No. 01/2026 was rejected, and the writ appeal was dismissed as barred by limitation.