Litigation Costs Soar: Government Spends Rs 400 Crore in a Decade

The government has spent over Rs 400 crore on court cases in the past decade. The expenditure increased by over Rs 9 crore in the 2023-24 fiscal, with the Finance Ministry involved in two lakh pending cases. A national litigation policy is underway to expedite case resolutions.

In the past decade, India's government has expended a staggering Rs 400 crore on litigation, according to official figures.

Data reveals that the central government spent Rs 66 crore on court cases in the 2023-24 financial year, marking a jump of over Rs 9 crore compared to the previous fiscal. Notably, litigation costs have generally risen since 2014-15, except during two pandemic-hit years. Expenditure started at Rs 26.64 crore in 2014-15, escalating to Rs 409 crore by the current fiscal year.

With the central government entangled in approximately seven lakh legal cases, including nearly two lakh involving the Finance Ministry, discussions in both parliamentary houses emphasize an urgent need for a national litigation policy. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal outlined a proposal aiming to accelerate case resolutions, which is set to be reviewed by the Union Cabinet.