June 11,2024
After going to the drawing board on several occasions, the Union Law Ministry on Tuesday finalised a document on the national litigation policy which seeks to expedite resolution of pending cases. Soon after assuming charge as the law minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday signed the national litigation policy “document”.
The policy document will be placed before the Union Cabinet in the coming days for its approval.
The policy is part of the 100-day agenda of the Modi 3.0 government, sources said.
Interacting with reporters soon after taking charge, Meghwal said a key priority of the ministry would be faster justice in matters pending in the Supreme Court, high courts, lower courts, tribunals and consumer courts.
A senior functionary said the issues flagged by the minister relating to pendency of cases have been conceptualised in the document. “It was the first file he wanted to sign,” the functionary said.
The national litigation policy has been drafted and redrafted for several years with successive governments deliberating on its contours.
“There is a factor of ease of living in all the stakeholders related to litigation … All stakeholders, including litigants, advocates and others are part of it … the ministry has finalised the policy document,” Meghwal said.
In UPA II, then law minister M Veerappa Moily had come out with a national litigation policy, but it never went forward.
An official statement issued on June 23, 2010 had said the Centre has formulated a National Litigation Policy to reduce the cases pending in various courts in India under the National Legal Mission to reduce average pendency time from 15 years to 3 years.
According to the ‘vision’ of the 2010 policy, it was based on the recognition that the government and its various agencies are the pre-dominant litigants in courts and tribunals in the country.
“Its aim is to transform government into an efficient and responsible litigant. This policy is also based on the recognition that it is the responsibility of the government to protect the rights of citizens, to respect fundamental rights and those in charge of the conduct of government litigation should never forget this basic principle,” it had said.
Responding to a question of arbitration, Meghwal said the government is working towards making India into an arbitration hub and some laws have been tweaked to enable the plans.
“Why can’t the disputes (under arbitration) be settled here. Why should Indians go to Singapore, Dubai or London for arbitration,” he said.
Source: Economic Times