In Brief
The State of Manipur appealed against the High Court's rejection of its Regular First Appeal on grounds of unexplained delay. The Supreme Court held that while the state failed to adequately explain part of the delay, the interest of justice required remitting the matter to the High Court for examination on merits rather than dismissing it on delay grounds alone. The land in dispute was noted as strategically important. The Court stayed execution of the trial court's decree for possession, directed refund of deposited amounts, and permitted the High Court to finally decide the case on substantive grounds.
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