SHER MUHAMMAD Versus TAJ MUHAMMAD SHAH

This matter concerns petitions for restoration which were filed with a delay of 49 days. The core legal question before the Supreme Court was whether sufficient grounds existed to justify the condonation of this delay under the relevant legal framework for restoration petitions. Upon hearing the arguments presented by the learned counsel for the parties, the Court determined that the applicants failed to demonstrate any valid or satisfactory justification for the delay. Consequently, the Court held that no case for condonation of delay had been established. The petitions were dismissed on the basis that the delay remained unexplained and unexcused. The principle reaffirmed is that a party seeking restoration of a petition after the expiry of the limitation period bears the burden of providing a satisfactory explanation for the delay, and in the absence of such justification, the court will not exercise its discretion to condone the lapse.