NHAI Vs. Dumnu Ram (Deceased) through LRs and Ors. OMP(M) No.119 of 2024 12.09.2025 Present: Ms. Sneh Bhimta, Advocate, vice Ms. Shreya Chauhan, Advocate, for the applicant. Mr. Yudhvir Singh Thakur, Advocate, for the respondents. No reply is intended to be filed on behalf of the non-applicants. Heard counsel for the parties and perused the pleadings (application and reply filed thereto). In the filing of the present appeal, there is a delay of about 629 days. The same has been duly explained in the application filed for condonation of delay. Even otherwise, while dealing with an application for condonation of delay filed by the NHAI, one has to be conscious of the bureaucratic delays, impersonal nature of the NHAI functioning, institutional interest and hence a justice oriented liberal approach has to be taken while dealing with such applications. In this respect, it would be appropriate to refer to decision of the Hon’ble Apex Court passed in State of Manipur and others vs. Koting Lamkang, 2019 (10) SCC 408. The relevant extract of the same is being reproduced herein below:- “7. But while concluding as above, it was necessary for the Court to also be conscious of the bureaucratic delay and the slow pace in reaching a government decision and the routine way of deciding whether the State should prefer an appeal against a judgment adverse to it. Even while observing that the law of limitation would harshly affect the party, the Court felt that the delay in the appeal filed by the State, should not be condoned. 8. Regard should be had in similar such circumstances to the impersonal nature of the Government’s functioning where individual officers may fail to act responsibly. This in turn, would result in injustice to the institutional interest of the State. If the appeal filed by State are lost for individual default, those who are at fault, will not usually be individually affected”. Other than the aforesaid, it would also be appropriate to refer to judgment dated 09.10.2023, passed in Civil Appeal No.5867 of 2015 titled Sheo Raj Singh (deceased) through LRs. and others vs. Union of India and another. The relevant extract of the same is being reproduced herein below:-. “37. Having bestowed serious consideration to the rival contentions, we feel that the High Court’s decision to condone the delay on account of the first respondent’s inability to present the appeal within time, for the reasons assigned therein, does not suffer from any error warranting interference. As the aforementioned judgments have shown, such an exercise of discretion does, at times, call for a liberal and justice-oriented approach by the Courts, where certain leeway could be provided to the State. The hidden forces that are at work in preventing an appeal by the State being presented within the prescribed period of limitation so as not to allow a higher court to pronounce upon the legality and validity of an order of a lower court and thereby secure unholy gains, can hardly be ignored. Impediments in the working of the grand scheme of governmental functions have to be removed by taking a pragmatic view on balancing of the competing interests.” Hence, for the reasons/sufficient cause stated in the application & the aforesaid position of law, delay in filing the present appeal is condoned. Application stands disposed of. Arb. Appeal No. of 2025 Be registered. List after six weeks. OMP No. of 2025 Be registered. Operation and execution of impugned judgment dated 17.05.2022, passed by the learned District Judge, Mandi, District Mandi, HP in Arbitration Case No.127 of 2018, titled NHAI Vs. Dumnu Ram (Deceased) through LRs., are ordered to be stayed, subject to deposit of the entire awarded amount along with upto date interest within six weeks from today. Application stands disposed of. (Bipin C. Negi) Judge 12th September, 2025 (Gaurav Rawat)