Bombay High Court refuses to condone 650-day delay in appeal against acquittal
The Bombay High Court dismissed an appeal by the Anti-Corruption Bureau due to an unexplained 650-day delay in filing. The court criticized the state for its lack of diligence and for pursuing a case that the Department of Law and Judiciary had previously deemed unfit for appeal.
Why it matters
This ruling highlights judicial frustration with bureaucratic inefficiency and the misuse of court resources for frivolous litigation by state agencies.
The Bombay High Court has declined on Thursday (August 20, 2026) to condone a delay of 650 days in filing an appeal against acquittal in a Prevention of Corruption Act case, observing that the Department of Law and Judiciary must function independently of pressure from other State departments.
A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Mahendra Nerlikar at the Nagpur seat imposed costs of ₹50,000 on the Anti Corruption Bureau, Yavatmal district, while refusing to entertain the State's appeal.
The court noted that the Department of Law and Judiciary had in January 2024 denied permission to file the appeal, terming the case unfit for appeal. Despite this, the ACB pursued the matter through senior officers, urging the DLJ to grant leave.
Permission was eventually granted in July 2025, though the DLJ issued a communication stating that the "instructions for filing of appeal is issued only at the department's risk, cost and consequences."
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