‘Surprised’ HC warns lawyer of imposing Rs 10K cost for adjournment

Nagpur: Expressing “surprise” over a lawyer’s behaviour of seeking adjournment while pleading a senior citizen’s case, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Wednesday warned him of imposing Rs10,000 cost if he appears unprepared during the next hearing.
The warning came while hearing a plea of Anant Kshirsagar, a pensioner, who had moved against Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education for pensionary benefits.
Before deferring hearing till September 7 on the petitioner lawyer’s demand, a division bench comprising justices Ravi Deshpande and Pushpa Ganediwala hoped that counsels for petitioner and respondents would be ready with their documents without wasting the court's time.
“Our anxiety to decide matters of senior citizens in relation to pensionary benefits seems to be more than petitioner’s counsel. We asked him to argue now so that case can be finally disposed of. It was pending since 2010 and relief claimed includes pension and gratuity. The counsel however prayed for taking up the matter next month, which surprised us,” the bench noted.