SC slaps Rs.5 lakh penalty for case withdrawal

The Supreme Court has imposed a penalty of Rs.5 lakh on the Kerala State Electricity Board and NTPC for urging it to allow withdrawal of their appeal, saying they cannot treat the court according to their own convenience.

A bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice N.V. Ramana on Thursday took exception to the petitioners KSEB and NTPC seeking to withdraw their plea and said the withdrawal will be subject to payment of Rs.5 lakh to the Supreme Court Legal Services Authority.

Confirming that KSEB and NTPC were imposed Rs 5 lakh cost, counsel Vikas Upadhyay representing respondents Essar Power MP Ltd on Friday said the court did not appreciate the way the withdrawal of the case was sought after the judges had gone through four volumes of the petition running into 890 pages.

Imposing the cost, the bench said: "If you wanted to withdraw, why did you in first instance file it and persuaded us to issue notice."

This is not a drawing room where you can walk in and walk out at your own ease, it added.