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2026 Supreme(Online)(DRAT) 620

BEFORE THE DEBTS RECOVERY APPELLATE TRIBUNAL, AT: MUMBAI
Vivek Bharti Sharma, Chairperson
SHARADKUMAR BHUPATBHAI DOBARIYA AND ORS – Appellant
Versus
BANDHAN BANK – Respondent
I.A. Diary No. 1311/2026 | Regular Appeal Diary No. 1295/2026



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: Rajesh Nagory, M. Sondhi
For the Respondents: Akash S. Acharya

Condonation of delay is impermissible when a party fails to act within a timeline granted by a High Court, and the issue of such inaction has already been considered by the superior court.

Headnote:(A) Condonation of Delay - Sufficient Cause - Failure to approach the appellate forum within a timeline expressly granted by a High Court indicates a lack of sufficient cause and suggests a deliberate tactic to obstruct recovery proceedings. (Para 6)

(B) Judicial Discipline - Binding Observations - Where a High Court has already observed that a party failed to utilize the indulgence granted to pursue a legal remedy, the Appellate Tribunal may decline further adjudication on the delay condonation application. (Para 7, 8)

Issues: Whether the delay of 281 days in filing the appeal should be condoned given the prior observations of the High Court of Gujarat regarding the borrowers' inaction.

Table of Content
1. compliance with procedural requirements and mandatory pre-deposits for filing an appeal. (Para 2 , 3 , 4)
2. evaluation of 'sufficient cause' for delay versus allegations of mala fide tactics to obstruct recovery. (Para 5 , 6)
3. the effect of superior court observations on the maintainability of a delay condonation application. (Para 7 , 8)
4. dismissal of the application for condonation of delay and the consequential rejection of the main appeal. (Para 9)

2. The Learned Counsel for the Respondent Bank tenders the Vakalatnama and written submissions. The same are taken on record.

He would submit that the written submissions be taken as reply to the delay condonation application.

3. Heard on I.A. Diary No. 1311/2026 filed for condonation of delay.

4. The order dated 05.08.2026 passed by this Appellate Tribunal directing the Applicants/Borrowers to deposit the mandatory pre-deposit has been complied with.

5. The Learned Counsel for the Applicants/Borrowers would submit that there is a delay of 281 days in filing the present appeal; that, the Applicants/Borrowers were in the process of obtaining legal advice regarding the appropriate appellate remedy. Therefore, sufficient cause has been made out for condonation of the delay

6. In reply, the Learned Counsel for the Respondent Bank would submit that the very grounds urged in support of the delay condonation application, as well as the other grounds raised in the memorandum of appeal have already been considered by the Hon’ble High Court of Gujarat at Ahmedabad in its order dated 30.06.2026 passed in R/Special Civil Application No. 7483/2026 .

He would further submit that the contention of the Applicants/Borrowers that they were under the impression that the dispute had been resolved on the basis of the report of the Court Commissioner, and that the matter had come to an end, has not been accepted by the Hon’ble High Court; that, the present application seeking condonation of delay is entirely mala fide, vexatious and a deliberate tactic to obstruct recovery proceedings; that, the Applicants/Borrowers had approached the Hon’ble High Court, wherein time was expressly granted up to 28.10.2025 to pursue appropriate legal remedies; that, despite the expiration of the timeline granted by the Hon’ble High Court on 28.10.2025; that the Applicants/Borrowers consciously chose not to file any appeal within the stipulated period; that, the delay is not accidental, but a calculated and intentional inaction; that, the application is entirely silent regarding the binding orders passed by the Hon’ble High Court; that, the Applicants/Borrowers sat on the fence after the expiry of the High Court’s deadline of 28.10.2025 and chose to move this Hon’ble Tribunal only when physical possession of the secured asset became imminent; that, this deliberate suppression of material orders and waiting until the execution of possession reveals that the present application is a mere afterthought designed to defeat the statutory process.

7. Considered and perused the record.

The relevant part of the judgment dated 30.06.2026 of the Hon’ble High Court of Gujarat in R/Special Civil Application No. 7483/2026 is reproduced here as under.

“5. At this stage, it requires to be noted that while learned advocate Mr. Dave with learned advocate Mr. Kaswala tried to intervene submitting that there is a settlement with the petitioner-Bank, yet, to this Court, it would appear that such a contention is not required to be appreciated by this Court at this stage. Once a learned Coordinate Bench, at the instance of the borrowers, whom the learned advocate Mr. Dave represents, had granted indulgence to the borrowers to approach the Appellate Tribunal by challenging order dated 09.09.2025, it was for the borrowers to have approached the Appellate Tribunal and had sought for interim orders. Since it appears that the borrowers themselves did not approach the Appellate Tribunal, askin

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