Supreme Court slaps ₹50k costs on Odisha; says 36 appeals were filed by State after deadline

The Supreme Court criticized the State of Odisha for filing an appeal despite knowing a similar one had been dismissed in 2023. A vacation bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Rajesh Bindal heard an appeal against a 2022 Orissa High Court decision that refused to condone a four-year delay in filing a writ petition. The appeal to the Supreme Court itself was delayed by 512 days. Justice Bindal noted the High Court's decision was likely correct. When informed by Advocate Saileshwar Yadav that a similar appeal was dismissed in 2023, Justice Oka expressed frustration at the State's actions. The Court dismissed the appeal and imposed a ₹50,000 cost on the State, to be paid to the Odisha State Legal Services Authority. Another delayed appeal by the State was condoned after the Court found a substantial question of law, despite Justice Oka's criticism of the State's frequent delays.