State Needs To Have Litigation Policy, Cannot Be Biggest Litigant: Telangana High Court To Advocate General

Telangana High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe on Friday said the State needs to have a ‘Litigation Policy’ that aims at reducing litigation. 

“You say you are a model state. You must be having a ‘State Litigation Policy’? The aim is to reduce litigation,” Justice Aradhe said.

The division bench of Chief Justice Aradhe and Justice T. Vinod Kumar made the observations during the hearing of a retired Additional District and Sessions Judge's plea for medical reimbursement of actual cost incurred on treatment. The retired judicial officer has sought relaxation of the rules that restrict the medical reimbursement claim to one lakh rupees.

During the hearing, the court was informed about the disparity in the disbursal of medical treatment costs of high court employees and subordinate court employees — while the former get a full reimbursement, the latter only get maximum Rs 1 Lakh. “It’s patent discrimination,” remarked Chief Justice Aradhe.

Justice Kumar explained that the medical reimbursement limit that has been prescribed by the Integrated Medical Attendance Rules, 1972, is also one lakh, and every time a retired High Court employee wants to get a full medical reimbursement, they are compelled to approach the Court for relief.

The Chief Justice, who has recently been transferred from the Karnataka High Court, was surprised to find out that Telangana does not have a ‘State Litigation Policy’. He ordered the Standing Counsel for the High Court “to furnish all the details of the employees of the High Court who have approached the Court for reimbursement, by the next date of hearing.”

“Tell AG, State needs to have litigation policy, State cannot be the biggest litigant. You have a stake in the Justice Administration System," the Chief Justice said.

Later on in the day, in a subsequent proceeding, when the Advocate General appeared before the bench, Chief Justice Aradhe made it a point to tell him to have a State Litigation Policy in place on a priority basis.

Title: P. Ashok Raj v. State of Telangana.