Mohini Mohan Raj Pandit v. State Of West Bengal And ORS.

20.06.2022 Item no.49 Ct. No.04 Saswata WPLRT 34 of 2022 Mohini Mohan Raj Pandit -vsState of West Bengal & Ors.

Mr. Ziaul Hoque ... for the petitioner Mr. Susovon Sengupta Mr. Subir Pal ... for the State Mr. Snehasis Jana ... for the private respondents The tribunal application which was filed as far back in the year 2019 is yet travelling in the docket of the Court at the motion stage.

Surprisingly, the said application was listed on 6th January 2022 and the Tribunal has directed this matter to appear under the heading "motion" on 17th November 2022 as the diary of this Bench is very much congested.

The object of setting up of the Tribunal is to secure the speedy disposal of the case and ease out the heaps of cases mounting in the docket of the Courts. If the reason assigned for fixing a long date is accepted, the object which the legislatures had at the time of promulgating the West Bengal Land Reforms and Tenancy Tribunal Act would be rendered redundant.

The private respondents appeared on the said date but interestingly the direction for filing affidavit-in-opposition was made in a strange fashion.

Without venturing to go any further, since the State and the private respondents are before us, we direct the affidavit-in-opposition to be filed by them within three weeks from date before the Tribunal. Reply shall be filed within a week thereafter.

The Tribunal is directed to pre-pone the date so fixed which shall not exceed beyond 15 days from the date of the expiration of the period for exchange of affidavits and endeavour shall be shown to dispose of the matter within one month therefrom.

With these observations, the writ petition being WPLRT 34 of 2022 is disposed of.

[Harish Tandon, J.] [Shampa Dutt (Paul), J.]