Ranchi: A Division Bench of the Jharkhand High Court, comprising Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar, has criticized government officials for obstructing judicial proceedings by filing frivolous and mala fide petitions.
The court dismissed a review petition filed by the state government, terming it false, baseless, and an abuse of the legal process, and imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the concerned officials, to be paid from their personal funds. The fine is to be deposited with the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority within four weeks. The matter will come up for hearing on January 20.
The bench observed that since government officers do not bear litigation expenses from their own pockets, they often file unnecessary and unfounded petitions without hesitation. Calling this a blatant waste of public money, the court said it was time to put an end to this practice.
The case relates to RK Construction Private Limited. Clarifying its earlier order dated August 25, 2025, the court stated that no observations had been made on the merits of the case, and the direction was issued strictly in compliance with binding Supreme Court guidelines requiring timely disposal. Despite this, the state filed a review petition, clearly intending to delay execution proceedings.
The court described the state as a powerful litigant and the company as the weaker party, stressing that it is the government’s duty to honour genuine claims rather than harass citizens through technical tactics. The bench warned that henceforth, appeals, revisions, or petitions under Article 227 filed by the state will be entertained only if accompanied by a certificate of compliance with the Jharkhand State Litigation Policy.
