THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE SANJAY KUMAR WRIT PETITION NO.15986 OF 2010 DATED 7TH JULY, 2010 BETWEEN Bollina Harischandra … Petitioner And Revenue Divisional Officer (Tribunal Constituted under Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 (Act 56/2007) Kovvur, W.G. Dist. And Others. … Respondents THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE SANJAY KUMAR WRIT PETITION NO.15986 OF 2010 ORDER: This writ petition commends amenability to disposal at the admission stage. The grievance of the petitioner is with regard to the inaction of the Collector and District Magistrate, Kovvur, West Godavari District, the appellate authority under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, in passing orders upon the appeal and stay application filed by the petitioner against the order dated 20.11.2009 passed by the Revenue Divisional Officer, Kovvur, West Godavari District, being the Tribunal constituted under the said Act, in Case No.2 of 2009. The said appeal was filed on 02.01.2010 Sri N.Subba Rao, learned counsel for the petitioner, placing reliance on Section 16(6) of the said Act, asserted that the appellate authority is required to make an endeavour to pronounce an order in writing within one month of the receipt of the appeal. He pointed out that in spite of passage of several months, the appellate authority has not passed orders either upon the stay application or in the main appeal. Reference is made to the communication from the Office of the Collector and District Magistrate giving the petitioner to understand as if orders had been passed in the petitioner’s matter, which lulled him to believe that there was no cause for grievance. However, it is stated that pursuant to the order appealed against, steps are being taken to cancel the registered settlement dated 01.10.2009. Be that as it may, the plea of the petitioner that this Court by exercising jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution should provide interim protection to him pending disposal of the appeal before the statutory authority cannot be countenanced. Article 226 of the Constitution is not intended to be used for circumventing statutory remedies, as held by the Supreme Court in ASSISTANT COLLECTOR OF CENTRAL EXCISE, CHANDAN NAGAR v. DUNLOP INDIA LTD.[1]. Needless to state, such authorities are required to be prompt in discharge of their quasi judicial functions under the statute so that the rights of parties are given timely protection. Delay on the part of statutory authorities in disposing of stay applications not only engenders futility of adjudication in some cases, but also causes distrust in the system. Such situations need to be avoided. The Writ Petition is accordingly disposed of at the threshold directing the second respondent/appellate authority to consider the stay application filed by the petitioner in the appeal preferred against the order dated 20.11.2009 in Case No.2 of 2009 on the file of the Revenue Divisional Officer, Kovvur, West Godavari District, after giving due opportunity of hearing to all the parties concerned and pass reasoned orders thereon within a period of one (1) week from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. No costs. ____________________ SANJAY KUMAR, J. 7TH JULY, 2010 Note: Issue C.C. tomorrow. B/O VGSR/PGS [1] AIR 1985 SC 330