Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, January 10, 2025: Additional Deputy Commissioner Viraj S. Tidarke held a meeting with officers of various departments at the District Administrative Complex regarding Punjab Dispute Resolution and Litigation Policy, 2018. In this meeting, various issues were discussed and guidelines were given regarding settlement of pending court cases in the departments.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Viraj S. Tidarke told the officers of various departments that the legal notices received by the offices/departments under Section 80 CPC should be replied to in time and the replies given by the department to various legal notices should be ensured that they are not contradictory so that litigation can be avoided in future.
Besides, new cases should be settled in the light of earlier decisions on service matters. It should be ensured that the decisions taken by the courts in similar cases, pending cases should be implemented under the orders passed by the court earlier, by doing so litigation can be avoided. He also told that if any financial matter of less than Rs 2 lakh comes to the departments, then as per the said policy, appeal should not be filed in those cases. The matter should be settled at its own level and in the pending/ongoing cases in the courts, it should be ensured whether the government is a party in these cases or not and it should also be ensured whether these cases come under the limitation period or not.
He said that the reply of the cases pending in the courts should be checked by the concerned officer in a timely manner and necessary records should be made available at the time of investigation. The orders/interim orders passed by the courts in any case should be immediately obtained online and made a part of the record. He said that the orders of the court should be implemented immediately without any delay so that contempt of court can be avoided in future and the department does not have to face defamation.
Reply to cases pending in the courts should be filed on time and the reply filed should be based on instructions/policies/facts. Refrain from filing revision/appeal without any reason against interim orders passed by the Hon'ble Courts in various cases pending in the courts. Action should be taken immediately on the advance copies received from the courts. Do not wait for the number.
He said that different special acts have been made for different departments, according to the Act, it should be ensured whether the cases pending in the courts fall under the jurisdiction of the court under the special act or not. Giving more information, the ADC said that from time to time Lok Adalats are organized by the Hon'ble Courts, in which pending cases related to various issues are settled. If there are such cases in the offices, which can be settled through Lok Adalat, then a list should be prepared in this regard and sent to the Hon'ble Courts. Legal opinion should be immediately taken from the Deputy Commissioner through DA Prosecution/DA Administration on any legal point.