(1.) Heard the Learned Counsel for the Appellants and perused the Application, seeking condonation of delay of 160 days in filing the present Appeal.
(2.) It is admitted by the Appellants in para-2 of the Application that the certified copy of the order dated 03.01.2018, passed by Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at Chandigarh (for short "the State Commission") in Consumer Complaint No. 171 of 2017, was received by them on 27.02018. Thereafter, Law Officer-I took 5 weeks in processing the file and marking the matter to the Sr. Law Officer on 05.04.2018 for taking comments from the Estate Officer (Housing). Though the file was then marked to the Estate Officer (Housing) on the same date (05.04.2018) and the Assistant concerned had also put up a note on 06.04.2018, the Accounts Officer took 10 days in processing the matter at its end. Thereafter, the Assistant took almost 15 days in proposing to challenge the order passed by the State Commission. Then, the file was marked to the Superintendent on 005.2018. In the process, on 04.05.2018 the file was sent by the Sr. Law Officer to the Law Officer concerned, yet the said Officer took 12 days in seeking clarification from the Estate Officer on 16.05.2018. On 01.06.2018, i.e. after 15 days, the reply note was put up by the concerned Assistant and thereafter the file travelled from one table to another and the matter was delayed. Resultantly, the Appeal has been filed before this Commission with inordinate delay of 160 days, over and above the stipulated period of 30 days.
(3.) Such conduct on the part of the government functionaries has been deprecated by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Post Master General and Ors. V. Living Media India Limited And Anr., (2012) 3 SCC 563, wherein the Apex Court has been pleased to observe thus: