Chief Justice Alok Aradhe tells Telangana to have State Litigation Policy

Noting that almost all States have such a policy, the High Court Chief Justice said that it was imperative that Telangana should also have one.

Justice Alok Aradhe. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Telangana High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe on July 27 told Advocate General B. S. Prasad to persuade the State government to carve out a ‘State Litigation Policy’ on a priority basis.

Noting that almost all States have such policy, the CJ said that it was imperative that Telangana State should also have one. The CJ, along with Justice T. Vinod Kumar, was hearing a writ petition filed by a retired district court employee seeking reimbursement of ₹2.27 towards medical expenses. 

The petitioner’s counsel informed the Bench headed by the CJ that her client incurred ₹3.46 lakh for medical treatment. Since the government had restricted reimbursement sum to one lakh Rupees, the petitioner moved the HC for release of the remaining sum of ₹2.27. 

At this stage, the government counsel informed the Bench that only HC employees are given medical reimbursement of more than one lakh rupees. The Bench sought to know why the government was treating employees of the HC and the district courts on different footing over reimbursement of medical expenses. 

Justice T. Vinod Kumar explained that even HC employees were being given over and above one lakh rupees only after they are moving the HC and securing orders separately in each case. Expressing concern over confining medical reimbursement sum to one lakh rupees, the CJ remarked ‘what would happen with one lakh rupee’. ‘One lakh is nothing’, he noted stating that sometimes one lakh required to be deposited on the day of admission in the hospital. 

He told the government counsel that the latter too was a stake holder in administration of justice and the State should not fight all cases tooth and nail. “You need to be fair”, the CJ said directing the government counsel to treat employees of district courts and the HC on a par. 

“Why this difference …this is discrimination” the CJ said. When the AG turned up before the Bench after some time in a different matter, the Bench told him that every State had a litigation policy and asked him to impress upon Telangana government to carve out one for itself at the earliest. 

The Bench also told the AG that it had noticed in may old matters counter affidavits were not being filed by the government counsels. It asked the AG to ensure the Bench was assisted properly by filing responses in all matters promptly.