IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CWJC No.12695 of 2000 RAM CHANDRA PRASAD YADAV W I T H CWJC No.13005 of 2001 RAM NARAYAN PRASAD W I T H CWJC No.12859 of 2000 Md. SHAMSUL HASAN Versus THE STATE OF BIHAR & ORS ----------- 5/ 8/5/2008. Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned counsel for the State in all these three applications. The petitioners are retrenched employees of 1981-1990 census carried out by the Department of Census. There claim is one of regularization in the services of the State Government under certain policy decision. The writ applications have been preferred in the year- 2000-2001. The only explanation for this delay is that they were filing representations. It stands settled that mere filing of representations is not sufficient justification to explain the delay and laches in a proceeding under Article-226 of the Constitution. To that extent this Court holds that the writ applications are barred by unexplained delay. The next submission of the counsel for the petitioners is that this Court passed certain orders on writ petitions preferred by similar employees in the year 1998, 1992 and 1993. In fact in M.J.C.No.1157/92 preferred by persons who were not parties to the writ applications , entertaining the contempt application this Court observed that when the orders of the Court cover a class of persons, there is no need for them to approach separately and the State was - 2 - bound to act fairly by considering all such cases. There can be no quarrel with the said proposition. However, it stands equally settled that even where relief is claimed in a writ petition on the ground of orders passed in similar cases, unexplained delay and laches by a subsequent petitioner in approaching the Court for relief on the aforesaid basis is sufficient to deny him the relief. Clearly, these three cases fall in that category. Viewed from either angle, these writ applications are barred by gross unexplained delay. These writ applications are accordingly dismissed. KC ( Navin Sinha,J )