Introduction:

In a significant move, the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) imposed a financial penalty of Rs. 25,000 on the Uttar Pradesh Government. The penalty was levied due to the unpreparedness of the Standing Counsel, leading to a perceived waste of around 10 minutes of the court’s valuable time during the presentation of arguments in a writ matter. This marks the third instance on a single day where the court expressed displeasure with Standing Counsels for their apparent inability to effectively assist the court.

Arguments:

During the proceedings, the Court had been engaged in the matter for approximately 10 minutes when it delved into the provisions of the Arms Act, 1959, and relevant legal precedents cited by the petitioner’s counsel. Observing that the Standing Counsel was seemingly unprepared, he requested additional time to study the matter. Despite granting the requested adjournment, the Court expressed dissatisfaction and imposed a cost of Rs. 25,000 on the state government. The Court criticized the delay in seeking more time, emphasizing that it could have been requested promptly instead of after significant judicial time had elapsed.

Court’s Judgement:

While accepting the Standing Counsel’s plea for more time and adjourning the matter for a week, the Court underscored its displeasure by imposing a financial penalty. The Court emphasized that the cost should be deposited before the High Court Legal Services Sub-Committee in Lucknow within a week, initially by the State Government. Furthermore, it directed the recovery of the imposed cost from individuals responsible for the perceived waste of judicial time.