in filing the petitions. There is a delay of 589 days in filing the petition against the27 First Impugned Order. The petition against the Second Impugned Order is also delayed by approximately 84 days. We are cognizant that the appellant had moved the Division Bench seeking a fresh hearing of the main appeal, which led to passing of the Second Impugned Order. In Collector, Land Acquisition, Anantnag v Mst Katiji, (1987) 2 SCC 107, the Court noted that it had been adopting a justifiably liberal approach in condoning delay and that “justice on merits” is to be preferred as against what “scuttles a decision on merits”. Albeit, while reversing an order of the High Court therein condoning delay, principles to guide the consideration of an application for condonation of delay were culled out in Esha Bhattacharjee v Managing Committee of Raghunathpur Nafar Academy, (2013) 12 SCC 649. One of the factors taken note of therein was that substantial justice is paramount8. 37. In N L Abhyankar v