New Delhi, February 26: The Indian government has incurred an expenditure exceeding ₹400 crore on litigation over the past decade, with ₹66 crore spent in the ongoing 2023-24 financial year alone—an increase of over ₹9 crore compared to the previous fiscal, official data presented in the Lok Sabha revealed.
The litigation expenses have generally risen since 2014-15, barring two years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2014-15, the government’s legal expenditure stood at ₹26.64 crore, which escalated to ₹37.43 crore in 2015-16. Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, the cumulative spending on court cases surpassed ₹409 crore.
Additionally, the government remains a party in nearly seven lakh pending court cases across India. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, citing data from the Legal Information Management & Briefing System (LIMBS), informed the Rajya Sabha that approximately 1.9 lakh of these cases involve the Ministry of Finance.
In an effort to streamline dispute resolution, the government is in the process of formulating a national litigation policy. The proposed policy, which has been under discussion for several years, is expected to be presented before the Union Cabinet for final approval.
Last updated by a enewsx: