JUDGMENT :

Sanjay Dhar, J.

1. Appellants/petitioners, Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and others, have challenged the judgment and order dated 20.03.2018 passed by the Writ Court in a writ petition filed by the respondents herein bearing OWP No.152/2012. There is a delay of 590 days in filing the appeal and, as such, the appellants/petitioners have moved the instant application seeking condonation of delay.

2. In the application for condonation of delay, appellants/petitioners have submitted that after receiving the copy of the impugned judgment, the matter was placed before the High-Level Committee. It came up for consideration before the Committee on 03.05.2018, 14.05.2018 and 07.07.2018 and a decision was taken on 07.07.2018 that the impugned judgment is required to be challenged. Thereafter the record was collected from the subordinate offices and Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs was approached for legal advice. Sanction to file the against the impugned judgment was accorded by the Law Department on 20.09.2018 and the sanction order was forwarded by the said Department in terms of its letter dated 17.05.2019. It is further averred in the appl