In a recent decision, the Delhi High Court turned down a request from the State Bank of India (SBI) to bring in new papers in a long-running case against Shri S C. Goel. Judge Girish Kathpalia decided against SBI, pointing out the bank's carelessness in managing the case.
On November 26, 2025, Judge Girish Kathpalia listened to SBI's request to add more papers in a case that started in 2015. The bank said that the papers were lost because of office moves from Meerut to Muzaffar Nagar and were found in different branches.
"The Regional Business Office moved... and some papers were in Meerut and others in Muzaffar Nagar."
The court found SBI's explanation lacking. Judge Kathpalia noted that SBI, a big bank with lots of resources, failed to keep track of important papers. The judge was concerned that SBI only tried to bring in these papers after problems were pointed out during the final arguments.
"There is no clear explanation... the bank ignored the issue."
Letting in new papers would mean starting parts of the trial over again, which had been going on since 2015. The court pointed out that this would unfairly affect Shri S C. Goel by needing more testimonies and possibly dragging out the trial longer than needed.
"It would be like starting the trial over... in the case pending since 2015."
Judge Kathpalia supported the trial court’s decision from October 18, 2025, which had rejected SBI's request. The case will continue without the extra papers, and all pending requests were also denied.
This decision highlights the need for being careful and timely in legal cases, especially for big organizations like SBI.
