1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION ESTATE DUTY REFERENCE Estate Duty Ref. (L) Nos. Name of the Applicant Name of the Respondent 60/1973 Shri Mahendra Girdharlal, A/p of late Shri Girdharlal Gandla The Controller of Estate Duty Bombay 76/1973 Shri Hargovind R. Raja, A/person of Late Shri Pranjivan Gafhunath The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay City – I, Bombay 61/1974 Shri Nagindas J. Mehta, A.P. Of late Shri Jayantilal J. Mehta The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay 65/1975 Shri J.C.R. Readymoney, Executor of the Estate of the Late Shri C.R.H. Read The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay City – I, Bombay 116/1975 Shri Mahendra B. Parikh The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay City – I, Bombay 253/1977 Smt.Sulochana Mansukhlal Dalal, A.P. Of late Shri M.L. Dalal The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay City, Bombay 284/1978 Late H.H. Saraswatibai C. Patwardha, Sangli The Controller of Estate Duty, Pune 297/1978 Shri L.Y. Laggo Administrator to the Estate of the Late H.H. Shrimant C.A. The Controller of Estate Duty, Pune 311/1978 Ms.Augusta Iria Valles, Panaji, Goa The Controller of Estate Duty, Karnataka 499/1979 Shri Vithaldas H. Shah A/p of late Smt.Heerabai Vithaldas Shah The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay City – I, Bombay 1071/1982 Hansa R. Mehta, Bombay The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay 149/1988 Late Shri S.B. Gandhi, L/H Smt.V.S. Gandhi, Atkluj The Controller of Estate Duty, Pune. 286/1990 Shankarlal Jaiswal, Yavatmal The Controller of Estate Duty, Nagpur. 20/2001 Satishchandra Malhotra The Controller of Estate Duty, Bombay None for the appellant in all these matters. None for the respondent in all these matters. 2 CORAM : V.C. DAGA & J.P. DEVADHAR, JJ. DATE : 23RD NOVEMBER 2009 P.C. : 1. None present for the parties. Perused relevant references. 2. All these matters were called out since the matters were pending in this Court right from the years 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1990 and 2001. Almost more than 30 years have passed in some of the matters, whereas in some more than 10 years have passed. No steps have been taken by the assessees at whose instance the statements of case in their respective cases have been forwarded by the Tribunal. 3. This Court had issued notices to the parties to the references. They were called upon to take steps by approaching the office of the Prothonotary and Senior Master of this Court and to take steps as required under section 683 of the Bombay High Court (Original Side) Rules, 1980 (“Rules for short) so as to place the references on board for final disposal since the provision of rule 683 required the person at whose instance reference has been made to take necessary steps to supply paper book. In the event of noncompliance of rule 685, the matters were required to be placed on Board for orders. Order was required to be passed in exercise of powers under rule 686 of the Rules. That is how all these matters are placed on board for orders. 4. Since no steps have been taken by the assessees in either of the matters as required under rules 683 and 684 of the Rules, we have no option but to return all these references unanswered in exercise of powers under rule 685 of the Rules. 5. In the result, all these references are returned unanswered and disposed of accordingly. No order as to costs. (J.P. Devadhar, J.) (V.C. Daga, J.)