New Delhi: With the objective of reducing its dependence on courts and avoiding unnecessary litigation involving ministries and departments, the government is formulating a National Litigation Policy (NLP), Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said yesterday.
“The proposed policy has been sent to various ministries for their feedback and after we receive the same, the policy could be placed before the cabinet,” Gowda told the media here.
The minister hopes to place the NLP for deliberations before parliament in its upcoming winter session.
Describing pendency of cases before courts as the “core issue”, Gowda said the aim of the NLP would be to eliminate unnecessary litigation between government ministries and departments and focus on “alternate dispute resolution” (ADR) through mediation and conciliation.
Gowda said the ADR would speed up disposal of cases and urged the high courts to encourage judicial officers to resolve civil disputes through mediation and reconciliation.
The minister said the government would give full support to providing infrastructure for setting up mediation centres.
Addressing the priority areas to tackle pendency of cases, the minister said amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act and Negotiable Instruments Act, Arbitration and Conciliation Act were being taken up.
Gowda said commercial divisions would be set up in courts for adjudication of commercial disputes. However, he said, they were awaiting a report from the Law Commission on this.
Four states have ratified the constitutional amendment for setting up a National Judicial Appointment Commission for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary, he said.
Gowda said he had spoken to chief ministers to speed up the ratification process.
He said the ministry was considering the issue of raising the retirement age of high court judges from 62 years to 65 years.
The minister also said the strength of high court judges across the country would be increased from the existing 906 to 1,112. The Chief Justice of India has already approved the move.
Gowda said high courts would be set up in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, while separate high courts for Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura have already been established.
Gowda dealt with several issues during his interaction, including amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act to incorporate irretrievable breakdown of marriage as a ground for divorce.
The relevant bill will be reintroduced in the winter session of parliament.
The bill to amend the law was moved in the last Lok Sabha but it lapsed with its dissolution.
IANS
