State-level litigation policies present a dismal picture
₹10 lakh on the State of Rajasthan for what it deemed as harassment of the poor litigant by dragging the case on for years and through various layers of the judiciary. This decision underscores the Supreme Court’s stance against unnecessary legal actions that burden individuals, particularly those with limited resources, and the Indian judicial system.
Such cases go on to show that overall, the status of SLP implementation across different states remains far from satisfactory, which, in turn, underscores the need for sustained efforts to promote effective litigation management and improve the functioning of the justice system. Also, we need to publicize alternate dispute resolution methods, like conciliation, etc, which offers another avenue to reduce the burden on our courts and tribunals.
Indian data on litigation indicates that the state is the primary party involved in a majority of court cases and is responsible for a significant portion of pending litigation. Estimates of the financial cost of such litigation are hard to come by, but surely, it runs into multiple crores annually.
The core of the problem revolves around the fact that many SLPs contain excessively broad instructions and intricate procedures. In conclusion, we need a nationally convergent approach to reduce government litigation at all levels, so that everyone benefits.
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