Muna Pani vs. State Of Odisha

Facts

The Petitioner, Muna Pani, sought interim protection from the High Court of Orissa, which was granted by an order dated February 1, 2021. The present application, I.A. No. 4739 of 2021, was filed by the Petitioner. The Court directed the Petitioner to file a representation with the Executive Engineer (Opposite Party No. 3), not a tax authority. A deadline of December 1, 2021, was set for this representation, with a warning that failure to comply would result in the vacation of the interim protection. The time for the disposal of this representation was extended to March 1, 2022.

Held

The Court granted the Petitioner last opportunity to file a representation with the Executive Engineer (Opposite Party No. 3) by December 1, 2021. The Court reasoned that this was a procedural step necessary for the Petitioner to pursue their case. The interim protection granted earlier would stand vacated if this representation was not filed by the stipulated date. Consequently, the time for the disposal of this representation was extended up to March 1, 2022. The Court disposed of the application with these directions.

Key Issues

1. Whether the Petitioner should be granted an extension of time to file a representation with the Executive Engineer (Opposite Party No. 3) and, if so, what should be the corresponding extension for the disposal of such representation. The Petitioner sought this extension, and the Court considered the timeline for filing the representation and its subsequent disposal. The revenue or State did not record any specific arguments in this regard, but the Court's order implies consideration of the procedural timelines.