Government biggest litigant

Hyderabad, Jan. 19: The government is the biggest litigant in the state with as many as 70,000 cases pending in various courts. Some of these date back to over two decades. The revenue department tops the list with 19,633 cases, sources in the law department told this correspondent. Most cases pertain to land acquisition where the government has dragged on the cases. The irrigation and command area development department has 11,704 cases and the labour and employment 5,351 cases, the sources said quoting figures recently collated by law the department.
The home department has 3,497 cases which are mostly criminal appeals filed by the government and revision petitions filed by aggrieved persons. Of the 70,000 cases, about 20,000 cases are more than five years old. There are 32,279 cases involving the government pending in the AP High Court. Sources pointed out that the Somasila, Telugu Ganga and Priydarshini Jurala projects were constructed a decade ago but disputes over land acquisition for these projects are still pending in courts. The displaced farmers of Somasila are still doing the rounds of the courts for three decades. Some petitioner-farmers visit the AP High Court carrying lunch boxes almost every day. The AP High Court recently disposed of a batch of writ petitions pertaining to Velugodu balancing reservoir, Sriramsagar and Jurala projects. The government has admitted before the High Court that over 600 cases of land acquisition are pending for over two decades. Most of the petitioners have died and their heirs are pursing the cases.
The AP High Court has on several occasions pulled up officials including the chief secretary over laxity in settling issues which leads to people to move the courts.Keeping in view the mounting cases, the government has proposed to set up legal cells in all departments. It has also decided to constitute a special legal wing in the law department to monitor the cases daily.Law sources told this correspondent that the constitution of a special wing is awaiting the approval of the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The government has also decided to appoint special solicitors for dispose of the pending cases.