Adjudicators Discard “Heavens Would Not Fall” Approach

The Delhi High Court has called for adjudicators (tribunals, quasi-judicial bodies, etc.) to discard reliance on the “heavens would not fall” doctrine or approach. This expression has been used to suggest that trivial errors or lapses should be overlooked to avoid unsettling established outcomes. The Court emphasised that deferment or overlooking of days-long delays or non-compliance, even if small, can cumulatively impair rights, fairness, and proper administration of justice. It held that each day’s delay or non-observance matters and can’t be brushed aside with broad exhortations that justice demands rigidity. The Court directed that decisions of adjudicatory bodies be more attentive to procedural fairness and timeliness, even if strict compliance may seem harsh, for ensuring that adjudication does not become a forum for delaying justice. The idea is that legal processes should not assume that any imperfection is tolerable simply to avoid upsetting existing practices; rather, bodies must ensure procedural regularity and avoid claims that “nothing will happen if we stretch this a bit.”