NEW DELHI: Worried about the high number of pending cases in courts, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has appealed to his Cabinet colleagues to ensure that court cases are filed after taking a careful and considered view since the government is party in nearly 46 per cent of the cases.
Prasad, in his letter, said the government must cease to be a compulsive litigant and the judiciary has to spend lot of time in tackling cases where the government is a party.
Urging ministries to take steps to separate frivolous matters on the basis of merit, Prasad said, “Burden on judiciary can only be reduced if cases are filed after taking a careful and considered view. Take quick steps to either withdraw or dispose of them speedily.” He noted that steps should be taken to discourage government staff from going for litigation in frivolous matters.
Prasad has written a similar letter to all chief ministers and asked them to take measures to reduce the burden on the judiciary. The Law Ministry is also working on a national litigation policy to address the issue.
The law minister has also asked all ministries and states to submit compliance reports on a quarterly basis on reducing pendency. “I am directing the secretary justice to hold meetings with all ministries/departments to review this matter regularly,” he added.