High Court restores appeal despite lack of COD clearance, citing Electronics Corporation case. Delays not fatal.

The High Court restored an appeal that was initially dismissed due to lack of clearance from the Committee on Disputes (COD). The Court relied on the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd case, emphasizing that COD clearance is not mandatory for pursuing litigation before the Tribunal. The Court considered the pendency of the COD application at the time of the Supreme Court's decision and rejected the argument that delay in filing the restoration application should be a ground for rejection. The judgment highlighted the diminishing relevance of COD clearance and focused on the overall context of the case rather than delays in restoration applications.

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Issues:
Restoration of appeal dismissed for want of clearance from Committee on Disputes (COD) - Interpretation of judgment of Hon'ble Supreme Court in Electronics Corporation of India Ltd case - Relevance of COD clearance for pursuing litigation before the Tribunal - Application for restoration of appeal - Pending applications for COD clearance - Observations of different High Courts on the relevance of COD clearance - Delay in filing restoration application - Consideration of delay as a ground for rejection - Restoration of appeal by Hon'ble High Court - Relevance of pendency of application before COD - Operative part of the order.

Analysis:
The judgment involves a miscellaneous application filed by the Revenue before the Appellate Tribunal seeking restoration of an appeal dismissed earlier for want of clearance from the Committee on Disputes (COD). The Revenue argued that post the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Electronics Corporation of India Ltd case, clearance from COD is not necessary to pursue litigation before the Tribunal. They cited various High Court judgments supporting this interpretation. The respondent, however, contended that the pendency of the application for COD clearance at the time of the Supreme Court's judgment was crucial. The Revenue clarified that in a similar case before the High Court, the appeal was restored based on the pending permission from COD. The Tribunal agreed with the Revenue's argument, emphasizing that the COD mechanism had lost its relevance post the Supreme Court's judgment. The High Court's observations in the Krishak Bharati Co-operative Ltd case were also considered, highlighting that delay in filing the restoration application cannot be a ground for rejection when the appeal was dismissed with the liberty to restore upon COD clearance.

The Tribunal analyzed the judgment of the Hon'ble Gujarat High Court in the Krishak Bharati Co-operative Ltd case, where the issue was the restoration of an appeal dismissed for lack of COD clearance. The High Court allowed the restoration application, emphasizing that delay should not hinder restoration when the appeal was dismissed with the possibility of revival upon COD clearance. The Tribunal noted that the pendency of the COD application at the time of the Supreme Court's judgment was not considered relevant by various High Courts, including Calcutta, Karnataka, and Meghalaya. Additionally, a previous decision by the Tribunal in CC Jaipur Vs Indian Airlines Ltd followed similar reasoning in restoring an appeal dismissed due to COD clearance issues.

Ultimately, the Tribunal recalled the order dismissing the appeal and restored it to its original number, allowing the miscellaneous application. The judgment reaffirmed the diminishing relevance of COD clearance post the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd case and highlighted the importance of considering the overall context of the case rather than focusing solely on delays in restoration applications. The operative part of the order was pronounced in the open court, concluding the matter.

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