The Rajasthan High Court has strongly criticized the careless behavior of Officers-in-Charge (OCs) from various government departments for failing to provide essential case files to their legal counsels. This, the court noted, has seriously hampered the process of justice and caused unnecessary delays in court proceedings.
Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand, while hearing a 2016 case, pointed out that many departmental officers treat litigation as a formality and are negligent in their duties. The court found it "painful" and "condemnable" that original files were not being handed over to the advocates representing these departments.
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"This Court expresses its pain over the condemnable negligence and lethargic attitude of Officers-in-Charge of various departments in not providing the original case file to their respective government counsels. This hampers the process of providing justice to the litigants." – Rajasthan High Court
The High Court observed that even though the LITES (Litigation Information Tracking and Evaluation System) portal was launched two decades ago, no effective steps have been taken to assist government counsels in court. Officers often appear unaware of their responsibilities, resulting in frequent adjournments and poor handling of legal matters.
“Despite LITES being launched 20 years ago, no serious efforts have been made to resolve the issues faced by Government Counsels.” – Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand
While dealing with the 2016 case, the court noted a repeated pattern of carelessness. The concerned officer had not handed over the case file to the advocate, causing further delays. The court also referred to its previous ruling in Sardar Mal Yadav v. State Elementary Education and Ors., where similar concerns about Officers-in-Charge were raised.
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“It seems that the Officers-in-Charge are not even aware of their duties. Their casual approach leads to constant deferring of cases, harming justice delivery.”
The judge highlighted how changes in government often result in frequent replacements of departmental counsels. Shockingly, counsels don’t even receive a complete list of pending cases, making it difficult to prepare or track progress.
The court acknowledged past initiatives like the creation of the Justice Department in 2005 and the development of LITES to monitor state-involved litigation. However, despite review meetings and tech support, these efforts have not yielded desired outcomes due to a lack of seriousness from the officers.
To tackle these recurring issues, the Rajasthan High Court has laid out several actionable steps:
- Regular performance evaluations of officers based on resolution timelines, legal quality, and court responsiveness.
- Strict accountability for delays or negligence, including penalties for officers responsible.
- Inter-departmental review meetings to ensure better coordination and efficient case handling.
- Legal training for officers to improve their case-related knowledge and support counsels more effectively.
- Technology workshops and training to help officers understand case management software and legal tech tools.
- Real-time case tracking software for better monitoring and updates on court deadlines.
- AI-powered case categorization, which can help prioritize cases based on urgency and complexity.
- Automated document handling to ensure faster file processing and sharing between departments and courts.
- Outsourcing to legal experts, where needed, to reduce the burden on department officers.
- Data analytics usage to identify patterns in delays and predict future legal workloads.
- Centralized dashboard for monitoring case progress in real time.
- Incentives and recognition for officers handling cases efficiently and on time.
- Creation of a central oversight body to monitor and assist officers and to help reduce backlogs.
The High Court has issued notices to various officials, making it clear that:
"If departments fail to assist the court, the cost shall be recovered from the erring officers after due legal process."
All departments and officers-in-charge have been directed to submit a list of pending cases to their respective counsels within one month. The court also warned that:
“Non-compliance will be viewed seriously, and necessary action will be taken against defaulting officers.”
The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 15, 2025, where the court will review the status of compliance by various departments.
Title: Badri Narayan Sharma v State of Rajasthan & Anr.
