Ministries told to follow SOP to slash pending court cases

LAW MINISTRY WAS FOLLOWING UP ON APRIL DIRECTIVE TO OVERHAUL INDIA'S APPROACH TO LITIGATION

- Vrinda Tulsian

The law ministry has asked all government ministries to adhere to new guidelines for reducing litigation, following up on a directive it issued in April that could reduce pendency of cases, and also enhance the ease of doing business in India.

Last week, the ministry dispatched urgent reminders to all government ministries last week, seeking details of compliance with its sweeping April directive designed to overhaul India's approach to litigation and reduce the state's overwhelming presence in the nation's overburdened courts. Titled "Directive for Efficient Litigation Management," the April document was a response to rising pendency (the Union government alone has around 700,000 cases pending before courts; states are likely to have at least as much; and state-owned companies will add to these numbers) and delays in the judicial process. Both also increase the cost of doing business in India.

The situation is often exacerbated by ambiguous rules, procedural lapses, and a reflexive tendency to appeal unfavorable rulings, consuming billions in taxpayer funds over the past decade.

Official data laid in the Parliament in April showed that the Union government spent over ₹80 crore had been spent in 2024-25 in government litigation alone. Data from February showed ₹400 crore was spent contesting cases in the last 10 years, with expenditure rising to ₹66 crore in 2023-24 alone.