New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- In a sharp rebuke to the Odisha government, the Supreme Court has refused to condone an over eleven-year delay in pursuing a case, describing the state's conduct as "utterly lethargic, tardy and indolent" and terming the reasons cited for the delay "not an explanation but a lame excuse". A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma underlined that while courts do show some latitude to the "State" and its instrumentalities, condonation of delay cannot be claimed as a matter of right. "Despite all the latitude that is shown to a 'State', we are of the clear opinion that the cause sought to be shown here by the State of Odisha is not an explanation but a lame excuse," held the bench in a judgment last week...