In a stern rebuke of bureaucratic apathy, the Gujarat High Court on Monday reprimanded IAS officer Bijal A Shah, Secretary, Land Reforms, Revenue Department, for mechanically rejecting a citizen's revision application on grounds of delay.
Justice Nirzar S Desai indicated that a personal cost of Rs 2 lakh, up from the Rs 1 lakh earlier contemplated, would be recovered from Shah rather than the state exchequer. The case concerns Swati Sutaria's challenge to a stamp duty assessment order passed on October 1, 2025. Though the order was passed on that date, departmental records showed it was dispatched on October 18 and delivered on October 21.
The petitioners filed a revision application under Section 53 of the Stamp Act on April 4, 2026. Shah, acting as the Chief Controlling Revenue Authority, rejected it, holding that the 180-day limitation had expired.
Justice Desai questioned why Shah had not called for the lower office file or checked the dispatch records before rejecting the plea. "When you are in an authoritative position, you carry a different heart," the court observed, adding, "The way you are treating others, I am treating you."
The court posted the matter for September 7.