HC dismisses bank plea against DRAT order

The Telangana High Court refused to interfere with the order passed by the Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal-Kolkata rejecting his interim plea for condoning the 169-day delay in appealing against the order of the Debt Recovery Tribunal-Hyderabad.

Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Gadi Praveen Kumar dismissed the plea filed by Bank of Baroda (e-Vijaya bank) ARM Hyderabad branch in the matter. In 2019, DRT-Hyderabad ordered the bank to return the bid amount of ₹ 4.64 crore to Kosetta Krishna, who participated in the auction of the non-performing asset, with a simple interest rate of 5%.

The bank challenged this order and approached the HC. On April 29, 2024, the HC directed the bank to file an appeal before the DRAT within eight weeks. However, the bank filed an appeal on December 10, 2024, 224 days after the HC passed the order, seeking leniency for the 169-day delay in filing the appeal. DRAT rejected the appeal.

Upholding the DRAT’s decision, the HC division dismissed the bank’s plea saying that the facts of the case indicated that the bank was “lethargic and lax in taking seriously its duty to comply with the HC directions”.

Published – 25 May 2026 21:54 IST