Page No.# 1/3 GAHC010295352023 2025:GAU-AS:4398 THE GAUHATI HIGH COURT (HIGH COURT OF ASSAM, NAGALAND, MIZORAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH) Case No. : WA/122/2025 RANJIT KUMAR PAUL S/O. LT. SANAT KUMAR PAUL, R/O. SUBHASH NAGAR, P/O. SRIBHUMI, ASSAM, PIN-788210. VERSUS THE STATE OF ASSAM AND 8 ORS. REP. BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE GOVT. OF ASSAM, WATER RESOURCE DEPARTMENT, DISPUR-6, ASSAM. 2:THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVT. OF ASSAM WATER RESOURCE DEPARTMENT DISPUR GUWAHATI-781006. 3:THE COMMISSIONER AND SECRETARY TO THE GOVT. OF ASSAM FINANCE DEPARTMENT DISPUR GUWAHATI-6. 4:THE CHIEF ENGINEER WATER RESOURCE DEPARTMENT ASSAM NATIONAL HIGHWAY-37 BASISTHA GUWAHATI-781029 5:THE ADDL. CHIEF ENGINEER CACHAR AND HILLS WATER RESOURCE SILCHAR DIST. CACHAR ASSAM. 6:THE SUOERINTENDING ENGINEER HAILAKANDI WATER RESOURCE CIRCLE HAILAKANDI ASSAM. 7:THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER KARIMGANJ WATER RESOURCE DEPARTMENT KARIMGANJ ASSAM. 8:THE ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE ENGINEER WATER RESOURCE DIVISION KARIMGANJ ASSAM. 9:THE DISTRICT COMMISSIONER OF SRIBHUMI SRIBHUMI ASSAM Advocate for the Petitioner : MR. J LASKAR, J M SULAIMAN Advocate for the Respondent : SC. WATER RESOURCE DEPTT., GA, ASSAM,SC, FINANCE Page No.# 2/3 BEFORE HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE N. UNNI KRISHNAN NAIR ORDER Date : 09.04.2025 (Vijay Bishnoi, CJ) The appellant, herein, has filed this writ appeal being aggrieved with the order, dated 04.12.2023, passed by the learned Single Judge in WP(c)6986/2023, whereby, the learned Single Judge had dismissed the writ petition. The appellant, herein, had approached the writ Court with a prayer to issue a direction to the respondent authorities to release the payment of pending contractual bills for the work executed way back in the year 2012- 13. The learned Single Judge had dismissed the aforesaid writ petition filed on behalf of the appellant, herein, solely on the ground of delay and laches while placing reliance on a decision rendered by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of State of M.P. v. Bhailal Bhai, reported in AIR 1964 SC 1006. Mr. Jacklin Laskar, learned counsel for the appellant, has failed to persuade us to take a different view in the matter as had been taken by the learned Single Judge. Hence, we are not inclined to interfere with the order, dated 04.12.2023, passed by the learned Single Judge in WP(c)6986/2023. Page No.# 3/3 The instant writ appeal, accordingly, stands dismissed. However, there shall be no order as to costs. JUDGE CHIEF JUSTICE Comparing Assistant