Rc. G1/9487/2015 (L.Ref.), Monitoring of Land Reforms Court Cases, 2017

What the communication covers

Rc. G1/9487/2015 (L.Ref.), dated 28 April 2017, is an administrative communication from the Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Land Reforms to all District Collectors except Chennai. It concerns the monitoring and handling of court cases relating to land reforms.

The communication refers to earlier instructions issued by the office of the Commissioner of Land Reforms on 21 March 2016. Those instructions required each district to appoint a responsible officer as the Officer-in-Charge of land reforms court cases.

Duties of district officers

The Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Land Reforms asks District Collectors to report whether the appointed Officer-in-Charge is carrying out the required work. The stated responsibilities include:

• Watching land reforms cases daily on the High Court website.
• Coordinating with the relevant Revenue Divisional Officers and Sub Collectors.
• Enabling a responsible person to attend court with the necessary files.
• Ensuring that Government Pleaders representing the case receive a proper briefing.

These requirements are intended to improve district-level oversight and preparation in pending land reforms litigation.

Substitution Petitions

The communication also refers to an earlier request that Sub Collectors and Revenue Divisional Officers file Substitution Petitions in place of the erstwhile Assistant Commissioner (Land Reforms). They are expected to do this in consultation with Law Officers.

District Collectors were asked to provide a progress report showing:

• The total number of pending cases in the district.
• The number of those cases in which a Substitution Petition had been filed.

Who is affected

Rc. G1/9487/2015 (L.Ref.) directly assigns reporting and case-management responsibilities to District Collectors, Officers-in-Charge, Revenue Divisional Officers and Sub Collectors outside Chennai. It also concerns Law Officers and Government Pleaders handling land reforms cases.

A property owner or buyer is not given a new obligation by this communication. However, a person already involved in a land reforms court case may see district revenue officials taking steps to monitor the case, arrange files, brief the Government Pleader or substitute the appropriate officer in the proceedings.

Reporting deadline

District Collectors were requested to submit their reports on or before 3 May 2017. The reports were intended for review at the District Revenue Officers' meeting scheduled for 4 and 5 May 2017.