S Gopal Puri
Dharamshala: The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday delivered a stern warning to the state government, signaling that bureaucratic inertia will no longer be tolerated in matters of public importance.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma, while hearing Atul Bhardwaj vs. State of H.P. and Others (CWPIL No. 20 of 2025), expressed strong displeasure over the government’s repeated failure to file a reply in connection with the long-pending Dharamshala campus of the Central University.
The case, first listed on April 11, 2025, has witnessed multiple adjournments at the behest of the state, but without any substantive response filed so far. The court noted that such conduct only deepens the public perception of administrative indifference toward the aspirations of the region, which has waited for years to see the campus become a reality.
Petitioner Atul Bhardwaj, represented by counsel Advocate Nitya Sharma, highlighted before the bench that the state had earlier defaulted in depositing ₹30 crore for the project and was now continuing the same “pattern of neglect” before the judiciary. Despite several opportunities, the government had failed to file its counter affidavit.
Taking serious note of the delay, the bench imposed a conditional cost of ₹25,000 on the state. In a move loaded with symbolism, the court directed that the amount be deposited not with the petitioner but into the Chief Justice’s Disaster Relief Fund 2025.
Legal observers say the order is more than a financial penalty—it reflects judicial acknowledgment of the frustration of Dharamshala’s people, who view the Central University project as a cornerstone of educational progress and regional development.
The matter now stands adjourned to October 28, 2025, but the court’s message was unambiguous: justice delayed by the state cannot be allowed to become justice denied for the people.
