HC okays govt norms to clear 1.31L land cases

Cuttack: Orissa high court has approved the guidelines set by the state govt to clear the backlog of 1,31,532 cases related to Orissa Survey and Settlement Act, 1958, and Orissa Consolidation of Holdings and Prevention of Fragmentation of Land Act, 1972. The cases are pending before 40 revisional courts that have the authority to revise the record of rights of land.The guidelines were submitted through two separate affidavits by additional chief secretary of revenue and disaster management, Deoranjan Kumar Singh, and member of Board of Revenue C J Venugopal on Oct 8, in response to the direction issued by single-judge bench of Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy on Sept 25 while hearing a petition filed by Guruprasad Mohapatra of Odagaon in Nayagarh district.In his order, Justice Satapathy stated, “This court after going through the stand taken in the respective affidavits, hope and trust that the guidelines indicated in the affidavit will be duly carried out, with submission of a status report to this court by the end of Nov 2024.”The affidavits outlined the guidelines to improve the functioning of the revisional courts and handle both new and old cases related to disputes over record of rights. They mentioned the appointment of sufficient law officers in the revisional courts to defend and conduct proceedings to protect govt interests. Presiding officers and court officers are required to ensure the admission of at least 50 old cases per day until all old cases are admitted, while simultaneously admitting new ones within six months.The affidavits also assured that petitioners in old cases will be given natural justice, and defects will be rectified within a month by the presiding officers. “The presiding officers shall also take steps for analogous hearing of cases having similar prayers, within a time-bound manner,” they stated.Furthermore, the presiding and court officers are expected to conduct regular reviews and monitor the progress on disposing of a substantial number of cases at regular intervals.

Gyanvapi case: Hindu side seeks hearing on lines of Ramjanmabhoomi case by Allahabad high court bench

The Hindu side in the Gyanvapi case has requested the Supreme Court to expedite hearings by involving a three-judge bench. Delays in district court hearings for the last 10 months prompted the plea. They seek swift resolution similar to the Ramjanambhoomi case and emphasize avoiding contradictory orders from separate cases involving the Gyanvapi mosque.

Court slams govt for revoking sanction to prosecute PCS officer in Rs 500cr land scam

A special court in Haldwani has strongly criticized the revocation of prosecution sanction against Uttarakhand PCS officer Dinesh Pratap Singh, accused of embezzling Rs 500 crore in the NH-74 road project. The court rejected the state governments application, stressing it had no authority to quash the prosecution sanction and highlighting potential influence on the inquiry process.

Why Supreme Court is right to call time on 'bulldozer justice'

The Supreme Court has intervened to halt the arbitrary demolitions of unauthorised constructions, commonly known as 'bulldozer justice', often targeting political opponents and minority communities. The court plans to establish nationwide guidelines to ensure due legal processes are followed, emphasizing secularism and equal treatment for all religions in matters of illegal encroachment.