RANCHI, India, March 4 -- Jharkhand High Court issued the following order on Jan. 3:

1. The present appeal has been preferred against the order/judgment dated 17.05.2024 passed by the learned Single Judge in W.P.(S) No. 4765 of 2018 whereby the writ petition filed by the writ petitioners (respondent nos. 1 to 5 herein) has been allowed by quashing and setting aside the condition mentioned in Clause 1.3 of the Statute dated 15.12.2022 and they have been held entitled for the monetary benefits from their due date(s) of entitlement; be it by way of promotion or otherwise, as per the UGC Regulations.

2. Since the present appeal is barred by limitation, it is appropriate to first consider the application filed on behalf of the appellants seeking condonation of delay. I.A. No. 4970 of 2025

3. The present interlocutory application has been filed on behalf of the appellants/applicants seeking condonation of delay of 303 days in filing the present appeal.

4. Learned counsel for the applicants submits that after passing the impugned judgment dated 17.05.2024, the file was put up before the Deputy Director, Higher Education, Department of Higher Technical Education and Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand on 19.06.2024 for taking further steps in the matter, who after making endorsement, forwarded the said file to the Policy Section of the concerned department on 20.06.2024.

5. It is further submitted that the file pertaining to the present appeal was returned to the Deputy Director, Higher Education, Department of Higher Technical Education and Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand on 25.06.2024 for taking further steps in the matter, who then sent the said file to the Under Secretary for making endorsement in order to forward the same to the departmental retainer for preparing the grounds of appeal.

6. It is also submitted that the Under Secretary endorsed the said file to the legal retainer on 01.07.2024 who prepared the grounds of appeal on 16.07.2024 and then the file was again forwarded to the Deputy Director for getting opinion on the grounds of appeal. Subsequently, the file was sent to the Under Secretary on 22.07.2024 for the said purpose, pursuant to which the said file was forwarded to the Director, Higher Education, for making endorsement, who thereafter sent the said file to the Principal Secretary on 23.07.2024 in order to send the same to the office of the Advocate General seeking legal opinion regarding filing of the Letters Patent Appeal against the impugned judgment.

7. Learned counsel for the applicants further submits that the Principal Secretary of the department thereafter forwarded the said file to the office of the Advocate General who rendered his opinion through the Law Officer on 25.07.2024 to prefer Letters Patent Appeal. The concerned section of the said department then endorsed the file to the Director, Higher Education, Government of Jharkhand on 20.11.2024 with a noting that the interlocutory applications seeking stay and condonation of delay were being prepared and approval for the same was required.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://hcservices.ecourts.gov.in/ecourtindiaHC/cases/display_pdf.php?filename=A9S7c5LDIsB6RXaCf816x6vQdr8DammZueSIcAHOeVzeetF0BwwzZSZKVOKAEYan&caseno=LPA/313/2025&cCode=1&cino=JHHC010131412025&state_code=7&appFlag=)

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