DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Vs. V P NARAYANAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This appeal is directed against the order dated 21.2.2006 of the Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Delhi (in short, 'the State Commission'). By this order, the State Commission held the appellant Delhi Development Authority ('the DDA) guilty of deficiency in service on account of delayed delivery of possession of the flat to the respondent/complainant and partly allowed the complaint by awarding compensation of Rs. 25,000 and cost of Rs. 5,000 to the complainant, payable by the DDA within one month.

(2.) We have heard Mrs. Girija Wadhwa, learned Counsel for the DDA.

(3.) The appeal has been filed after a delay of 84 days. From paragraph 2 of the application seeking condonation of this delay, it is seen that it took the officials concerned of the DDA nearly two months to decide whether an appeal ought to be filed against the above mentioned order of the State Commission. There is no explanation whatsoever why this process took so long except that the application further stated, "........on account of impersonal machinery also no one in charge of the matter is directly hit or hurt by the judgment sought to be subjected to appeal". This is enough to demonstrate that there was no reason for this delay, much less a "sufficient cause" to warrant its condonation, as mandated in Section 24A of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (in short, 'the Act').