Supreme Court of India Reinforces Strict Approach to Delay Condonation: Thirunagalingam v. Lingeswaran
By Abhishek Jat, Advocate Case Overview Case Title: Thirunagalingam v. Lingeswaran & Anr. Citation: 2025 INSC 672 Bench: Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice B.V. Nagarathna Background This matter arose from a dispute over a sale agreement executed on 17 August 2015 concerning immovable property. The appellant initiated a suit for specific performance after the respondent failed to execute the sale deed. During the suit’s pendency, the property was sold to a third party. The defendants, after initially participating, ceased to appear, resulting in an ex parte decree. Execution proceedings followed, leading to the appellant obtaining the sale deed through court intervention. The respondents subsequently filed applications under Order IX Rule 13 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) to set aside the ex parte decree, accompanied by petitions for condonation of substantial delays (712 and 467 days). The trial court allowed these, but the High Court reversed the decisi...