The Supreme Court of India has set aside a Jharkhand High Court order that had dismissed a Letters Patent Appeal (LPA) as time-barred due to a 221-day delay in filing. A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria condoned the delay, emphasising that “substantial justice cannot be sacrificed at the cost of public good,” but directed the State to pay ₹1,00,000 to the writ applicant as a condition for restoration of the appeal.

Background of the Case

The State of Jharkhand had challenged the High Court’s order dated 28 October 2024 in I.A. No. 9029/2024 in LPA (Filing) No. 6893/2024, where the High Court had refused to condone the 221-day delay in filing the intra-court appeal. The High Court had found that the appellants had adopted a “very lethargic attitude” and exhibited

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