In Brief
A property sale agreement dispute reached the Supreme Court to determine whether a 1116-day delay in filing an appeal against an ex-parte decree could be condoned. The respondents had been duly served, appeared, filed written statements, then stopped appearing and faced an ex-parte decree. They initially sought to set aside this decree under different procedural rules but failed. Later, they attempted the same arguments under a different provision. The Court held that repeating already-rejected grounds for delay in different proceedings amounts to abuse of process. Delay should not be condoned merely for generosity; substantial justice cannot prejudice the opposing party. The High Court's order was set aside and the appeal was allowed.
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