In Brief
The State of Madhya Pradesh filed a Special Leave Petition 663 days after the statutory limitation period had expired. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition as time-barred and imposed costs of Rs. 25,000 on the State, to be recovered from the responsible officers. The Court held that statutory limitation laws apply equally to Government and private parties, and that the merit of a case cannot override the bar of limitation. The Court also deprecated the practice of filing time-barred petitions merely to obtain a 'certificate of dismissal' from the Supreme Court to shield negligent officers from accountability, and warned that compliance with the cost recovery order would be enforced through contempt proceedings.
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