The courts of the Financial Commissioner (FC) in Haryana, presided over by senior IAS officers, are currently grappling with a significant backlog of cases. There are 13 senior IAS officers managing these courts, tasked with resolving a total of 2,702 cases. From April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, these officers have collectively resolved only 901 of these cases, leaving 1,801 cases still pending.
Notably, Ashok Khemka adjudicated 525 of the resolved cases, which represents approximately 58.3% of the cases cleared, with the remaining 376 cases being handled by the other 12 IAS officers.
The Chief Secretary-cum-First Financial Commissioner, who also holds several key secretary roles, including Revenue and Home Secretary, establishes a total of 14 Financial Commissioner (FC) courts. These courts are critical in resolving matters related to land revenue and disputes, as their decisions are final at the state level, with no options for appeal or revision except through a writ petition in the high court.
The significance of these courts stems from their quasi-judicial authority, rendering decisions that cannot be reviewed or appealed at the state government level. This exclusivity was underscored by actions taken in Uttar Pradesh, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath critically addressed case backlogs in similar courts, leading to some officers being chargesheeted.
In Haryana, the 14 FC courts include two Division Benches. Division Bench-I, which covers the Gurugram, Hisar, and Faridabad divisions, includes Anurag Rastogi and G Anupama. Division Bench-II, serving the Rohtak, Ambala, and Karnal divisions, comprises Sudhir Rajpal and Vineet Garg. The remaining 12 IAS officers are each assigned separate districts where they conduct FC courts to adjudicate disputes.
The courts are typically convened by the 13 IAS officers once or twice a week. However, the growing backlog of cases may be partly attributed to the multiple departmental responsibilities shouldered by many of these officers, potentially diverting their focus and time from the FC courts.
The distribution and management of cases among the Financial Commissioner (FC) courts in Haryana reveal varying levels of efficiency and backlog across different districts. Each court is assigned specific districts with senior IAS officers presiding to adjudicate land revenue and disputes. Here’s how the cases were handled:
- Sudhir Rajpal, responsible for Palwal, Nuh, and Faridabad districts, managed 122 cases, resolving 29, with 93 still pending.
- Sumita Misra, overseeing Sonipat, handled 135 cases, closing 22, leaving 113 unresolved.
- Ankur Gupta covered Rewari and Fatehabad, with 172 cases received, 45 settled, and 127 pending.
- Anand Mohan Sharan for Panipat was assigned 14 cases, resolving 80, leaving 34 unresolved due to apparent data inconsistencies.
- Raja Sekhar Vundru, managing Mahendragarh and Sirsa, had 168 cases, resolved 28, with 140 still pending.
- Ashok Khemka, assigned to multiple districts including Rohtak, Jind, Kurukshetra, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, and Karnal, was the most burdened, receiving 696 cases and resolving 525, with 171 still pending.
- Vineet Garg for Jhajjar had 184 cases, resolving 75, with 109 pending.
- G Anupama, overseeing Ambala and Panchkula, received 117 cases, resolving only two, leaving 115 pending.
- A K Singh, responsible for Kaithal, Yamunanagar, and Hisar, received 121 cases, resolved 11, leaving 110 pending.
- Vijayendra Kumar for Gurugram dealt with 178 cases, closing 70, with 108 still pending.
- Anil Malik (until his departure) managed all districts for Village Common Land Act-related cases, handled 120 cases, resolved 11, with 109 pending.
- Additionally, the efficiency of the Division Benches appears particularly strained:
While, division bench-I (Gurugram, Hisar, Faridabad division), comprising Anurag Rastogi and G Anupama, received 60 cases but resolved only three. Division Bench-II (Rohtak, Ambala, Karnal division), led by Sudhir Rajpal and Vineet Garg, received 146 cases but failed to resolve any.
T V S N Prasad, holding a key administrative role as the Chief Secretary and First Financial Commissioner, received 269 cases without resolving any.
This summary indicates significant challenges in case management and resolution, highlighting the need for administrative review and potential restructuring to enhance efficiency in the FC courts across Haryana.
