NLP to remove largest litigant tag from govt - Govt Formulates National Litigation Policy To Reduce 2.1 Crore Cases In Courts To 1 Crore

The Centre and states have acquired the tag of government is the largest litigant, accounting for 70% of the 3 crore cases pending in various courts in India that is over 2.1 crore cases. Now, the Centre has formulated a National Litigation Policy (NLP), which will help both it and the states that are too eager to adopt it shed this shameful tag in the next four years and decongest the dockets of the courts. The policy will be announced on Wednesday by law minister Veerappa Moily.

First and foremost, the policy, drafted by Attorney General G E Vahanvati and vetted by Moily, aims to make appeal not mandatory in every case, the motto for every government department and public sector undertaking. It will put in place a comprehensive mechanism that will impress upon the departmental heads not to go for appeals and litigation against citizens just to harass them. The let the court decide attitude will be given a go bye, NLP stressed. In addition, it will provide efficient lawyers to the government departments by selecting them through a strict scrutiny and will remove any lawyer in the government panel if he or she is found to be asking for repeated adjournments.

Arbitration will be the main stay for the resolution of disputes with citizen and the entire process of arbitration would be made corruption free vetting of arbitration agreements and providing a clause that would warrant sacking of lawyers found delaying the process.

POLICY IN PLACE - The highlights of the NLP

- To transform the Central Govt into an efficient and responsible litigant focussing only on core issues

- Conducting litigation in a time bound manner

- Ensure that good cases are won but bad cases not persevered with

- Every effort must be made to improve government representation

- Screening Committees to monitor every litigation

- All litigation to be conducted on premise that Citizens come first and Govt is not there to trample on fundamental rights

- Arbitration to be accepted as mainstay and all corruption in arbitration proceeding to be removed

- Arbitration agreements to be very carefully drafted. Every arbitration case to be monitored and lawyers who are found to delay arbitration should be sacked

- Appeal in every case must stop

- Govt litigation share in all courts in India is 70% to reduce it by 50%
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(source-toi)