Take timely action to avoid prolonging of cases: Govt to depts

All central government departments have been asked to take timely action at each stage of a litigation and take unified stand in defending them so as to avoid prolonging of cases filed by employees. In a directive issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), they have been asked to ensure that timely action is taken at each stage of a court case.

All the cases filed by employees have to be defended on the basis of the facts available with the administrative ministry or the department concerned, keeping in view the instructions issued on the subject by the DoPT, it said.

Existing instructions provide that a common counter reply should be filed before a court of law on behalf of the union of India by the administrative department concerned where the petitioner is serving or has last served; and a unified stand should be adopted instead of bringing out each department's point of view in the said reply.