LI NETWORK
A PIL has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Centre to uniformly implement the National Litigation Policy in all ministries and departments.
The PIL stated that the government is not complying with its own policy, thereby causing injustice to the poor.
The PIL also sought similar guidelines and directions for the state government of Delhi to adhere to the State Litigation Policy.
As the division bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel did not assemble today, the matter was adjourned to January 2021.
NLP (National Litigation Policy) was launched in 2010, to provide responsible litigation from the Central government’s side.
The plea stated:
“Thirteenth Finance Commission (2010-2015) made it a condition for States to formulate and implement State Litigation Policy in order to receive Central Grants. Working Group for the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) of Department of Justice Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India emphasised on strict implementation of NLP.”
It further stated, “The judiciary has to spend its maximum time in tackling cases where the government is a party, and the burden on Judiciary can only be reduced if the cases are filed after taking a careful and considered view.”
Further, it mentioned:
“There is a crucial need to take transformative measures to reduce pendency of court cases. It is imperative to give top priority by all concerned Ministries/Departments to review all pending court cases and take up special arrears clearance drives.”