[EXCLUSIVE] Rs 5 Lakh Costs on the Central Government Imposed by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court imposed costs of Rs 5 lakh on the Central government for needlessly challenging a Meghalaya High Court order. The amount was directed to be deposited in the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund within two months.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court reprimanded the Central government by imposing a penalty of Rs 5 lakh for unnecessarily contesting a verdict from the Meghalaya High Court.

Justices Vikram Nath and Satish Chandra Sharma of the Supreme Court expressed their disapproval in their ruling, highlighting the inappropriate use of legal proceedings by the government.

The justices remarked in their order,

“There was no occasion or justification for the Union of India to have challenged the said order by way of this Special Leave Petition. The present petitions are sheer abuse of the process of law. The petitioners are cautioned not to file such frivolous petitions in future.”

This comment underscored their frustration with the unnecessary legal challenge posed by the Central government.

The penalty imposed, amounting to Rs 5 lakh, was specifically directed to be contributed to the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund within a span of two months. This fund supports the families of military personnel who are casualties of battle, highlighting the serious nature of the court’s reprimand.

The matter originated from an appeal against a High Court ruling which itself upheld a decision by the Central Administrative Tribunal. The High Court had resolved the case, noting that the Central government’s own lawyer had acknowledged that the issue had been conclusively settled in previous cases.

The Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss the Special Leave Petitions filed by the government was articulated clearly:

“Accordingly, the Special Leave Petitions are dismissed with costs for the reason that before the High Court counsel for the petitioner-Union of India submitted that the matter was squarely covered by a previous decision and, accordingly, the High Court had disposed of the matter on the statement of the counsel for Union of India.”

This statement from the apex court further cemented their rationale for dismissing the appeal and imposing the fine.

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