Following HC rap, Rural Devpt Deptt asks ZPs to handle lawsuits swiftly
| Date :02-Jul-2019 |
By Kartik Lokhande :
Rural Development Department of Maharashtra Government has asked Zilla Parishads (ZPs) in the State to handle lawsuits ‘swiftly’ by following the schedules for submission of affidavits and documents before the court. The department has issued a circular in this regard after the High Court recently pulled it up over delay in submission of affidavits and asked it to direct subordinate offices to ensure that deadlines were kept. Aseem Gupta, Principal Secretary of Rural Development Department, has issued the circular on Friday to all the Divisional Commissioners, Chief Executive Officers and Deputy Chief Executive Officers of all ZPs, and other officials.
The circular designates Chief Executive Officers in all ZPs as Nodal Officers for lawsuits, and Deputy Chief Executive Officers (General Administration) as the officers responsible for swift handling of the lawsuits. Deputy CEOs have been asked to accord priority to lawsuits, with the help of Law Officers of respective Zilla Parishads. Also, they have been asked to prepare paragraph-wise response to lawsuits in the light of prevailing policy decisions, notifications, rules, and circulars etc. Once the response has been prepared, it should be shown to legal counsel on ZP panel, and then draft of affidavit should be submitted for approval of the CEO. Besides, Deputy CEOs have been asked to ensure that the response/affidavit is filed before the court within stipulated time.
The legal counsel should attend the hearing on given date, and furnish the information about court’s orders to Deputy CEO the same day. In the circular, Gupta has mentioned that service related matters of Class III and Class IV were pending with the Deputy CEO (General Administration). Hence, CEO has been asked to take stock of the matters pending at the level of Deputy CEO (General Administration) every week. If a matter concerning lawsuit remains pending with the Deputy CEO concerned for over a month, ‘responsibility should be fixed’ and report of the same should be sent to the Government, it is stated in the circular.
In such cases, disciplinary action will be taken against those responsible for delay in submission before the court, Gupta has warned. To help the ZPs handle the lawsuits effectively, Rural Development Department has roped in a private firm ‘Manage My Lawsuits’ on pilot basis. It has asked Deputy CEO (General Administration) in all ZPs to upload the information using the system developed by the said firm. Gupta has informed the officers that he would himself take stock of the lawsuits in each ZP through video-conference.