Centre spent over Rs 561 crore in court cases in last eleven years: Report
'Over seven lakh cases still pending'
New Delhi: The Union government has spent a staggering Rs 561.08 crore on litigation over the past 11 years, even as 7.18 lakh court cases involving various ministries and departments remain unresolved across the country.
Among ministries facing litigation, the Ministry of Finance leads with 1.93 lakh cases, followed by Indian Railways with 1.15 lakh cases and the Ministry of Defence with 96,526 cases. At the other end of the spectrum, the Ministry of Cooperation has just one case pending, followed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (3), Panchayati Raj (13) and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (17), as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
This data was presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice earlier this year, during its examination of the Ministry of Law and Justice’s Demands for Grants for 2025–26.
Within two weeks of the panel tabling its report in Parliament, the Ministry on April 4 issued the ‘Directive for the efficient and effective management of litigation by the Government of India’ to prevent “unwanted” litigation, minimise “unwarranted” appeals and address “inconsistencies” in notifications and orders to reduce caseload, added DH.
The Parliamentary committee report revealed a fluctuating trend in litigation-related expenditure over the years. In 2014–15, the government spent Rs 26.64 crore, which increased steadily to Rs 65.83 crore by 2017–18. A slight dip occurred in 2018–19, with spending reduced to Rs 51.85 crore. This was followed by another increase in 2019–20 to Rs 61.08 crore. During the pandemic years of 2020–21 and 2021–22, expenditure fell to Rs 58.43 crore and Rs 48.56 crore respectively.
However, costs began rising again post-pandemic, reaching Rs 57.45 crore in 2022–23 and peaking at Rs 66.57 crore in 2023–24—the highest in the past decade.
For the current fiscal year (2024–25), Rs 39.06 crore has already been spent by December 31, 2024.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
