The court mandates timely resolution of administrative appeals to ensure efficient governance.

JUDGMENT

In this Writ Petition, the petitioner seeks expeditious disposal of Ext.P11 appeal, preferred before the Secretary, Industries Department, Government Secretariat. The petitioner also seeks Ext.P12 stay petition to be considered, expeditiously.

2. Learned counsel for the petitioner would submit that out of Rs.89 lakhs covered by Ext.P8 demand, there is dispute only with respect to Rs.8 lakhs and that the petitioner is prepared to pay Rs.81 lakhs. However, the petitioner seeks instalment facility for paying the said amount.

3. Having heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Government Pleader, this Court is of the opinion that the Writ Petition can be disposed of as follows:

Inasmuch as the Additional Secretary, Industries Department is the competent authority, the petitioner will produce a copy of Ext.P11 appeal (along with the stay petition) before Additional Secretary, who will consider and pass Orders in Ext.P11 appeal, expeditiously, at any rate, within a period of one month from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment. There will be a further direction to consider Ext.P12 application for stay, within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment. If the petitioner files any enabling application, admitting the liability either in full or in part, and seeks instalment facility before the Additional Secretary, the same will also be considered expeditiously by the Additional Secretary, in accordance with law, at any rate, within a period of three weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment. For the sake of completion and for effectiveness, the Additional Secretary, Industries Department, Government Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram-695001, is suo moto impleaded as the additional 4^th respondent in this Writ Petition, for whom the learned Government Pleader had already taken notice and made submissions.

The Writ Petition (Civil) will stand disposed of, as above.