Karnataka High Court criticises state government for major delays in filing court appeals

The Karnataka High Court has pointed out that a state law meant to stop office delays has itself been slowed down by office delays. A division bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna and Justice Hema Kulkarni made this observation while hearing four appeals filed by the state government against a single judge's rulings involving employees of the Karnataka State Law University.

The Delays

The court noticed delays ranging from 466 days to 1,099 days in filing these appeals. The bench stated that the Karnataka Conduct of Government Litigation Act, 2023, clearly requires officers to follow strict time limits when filing appeals, reviews, or revisions against court verdicts. None of the current appeals showed any sign of following these legal rules, with time limits for moving files and taking decisions being ignored.

Court Remarks

The bench noted that the reasons given for the delay—such as files moving between tables and seeking legal opinions—only described routine office work without showing a valid reason to excuse the delay. The judges stated that the state must be a model litigant rather than a privileged procrastinator. The court also called one application a copy-and-paste copy of another, noting that such explanations cannot be used as a ticket to get delays excused.

Context

Government bodies are generally expected to follow the same legal deadlines and rules as private citizens when involved in court cases. When state agencies delay filing paperwork, it often adds to the heavy burden already faced by the judicial system.