In Brief
The State of Gujarat challenged a Division Bench decision directing it to allot 1500 acres of land to Shree Ratnakar Enterprise for salt production. The enterprise had applied in 1992, but after rejection in 1999, filed a Revision five years later (rejected in 2005) and only then approached the High Court in 2011—another six-year gap. The Supreme Court held that such delays and inaction at multiple stages constituted laches disentitling the respondent to relief. The Court reversed the Division Bench, restored the Single Judge's dismissal, and held that no indulgence could be shown given the respondent's dilatory conduct and the State's clear position that the land had become unavailable after the Special Economic Zone's establishment."
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