P.K. RAMACHANDRAN vs STATE OF KERALA

The Supreme Court held that the High Court's order condoning a delay of 565 days in filing an appeal was improper as it failed to record any satisfaction regarding the reasonableness of the explanation provided for the delay, which is a prerequisite under the Limitation Act. The Court emphasized that the law of limitation must be applied rigorously and that courts lack the power to extend limitation periods on equitable grounds. Consequently, the appeal was allowed, the impugned order was set aside, and the application for condonation of delay was rejected, resulting in the dismissal of the Miscellaneous First Appeal as time-barred.