* 1 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION CIVIL. APPLICATION NO. 1820 OF 2009 (FOR CONDONATION OF DELAY) IN FIRST APPEAL (ST) NO. 4586 OF 2009 The State of Maharashtra ...........Applicant V/S. Narayan Shivling Zade ...............Respondent --------- Smt. S.V. Sonawane, AGP for the applicant-State. Mr. S.D. Thokade, adv.for the respondent. CORAM : SMT. R.P. SONDURBALDOTA, J. 22nd MARCH, 2010. P.C. :- 1. This Civil Application is filed by the State for condonation of delay of 2 years and 300 days in filing the appeal challenging award dated 18th January, 2006 passed in Land Acquisition Reference No. 583 of 2002. The application is opposed by the respondent. 2. The applicant has sought to explain the inordinate delay be setting out chronology of events after the decree at para-2 of the application. The chronology shows that the very first step to be taken after * 2 * pronouncement of the award, of applying for certified copy was delayed by more than two years. The application was filed on 30th May, 2008.Mrs. Sonawane, the learned AGP submits that this delay had occasioned because at the relevant time in the District of Solapur, there was only one office of the Special Land Acquisition Officer functioning and the other five offices had been closed for attending to the election duties. Even if that was so, it there cannot be delay of 2 years in filing a simple application for certified copy of the judgment and Award. In any case, the claim is without material particulars like the dates of election, the date on which the other offices started refunctioning, the extent of workload on the Special Land Acquisition Officer who was functioning at the relevant time. The certified copy of the Award was received by the Special Land Acquisition Officer on 17th July 2008. It came to be forwarded by the office of the Special Land Acquisition Officer to the office of the Government Pleader, High Court after a delay of 5 months i.e. on 5th December, 2008. For this delay, there is no explanation offered in the application. There has been further delay on the part of the office of the Government Pleader because though the certified copy was received on 15th December, 2008 the present application has been filed 2 months thereafter i.e. on 6th February, 2009. These facts disclosed in the application exhibit negligence and apathy. As such there is no ground, * 3 * much less, satisfactory made out for condonation of delay. Hence, the application is dismissed. [SMT. R.P. SONDURBALDOTA, J]