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Government of India

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MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE

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DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

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At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 3 6/14/2023 11:39:20 AM
 2022-23 AT A GLANCE
DEPARTMENT OF
LEGAL AFFAIRS

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Note from the Law Secretary

I. ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS 1

• Vision 1
• Mission 1
• Objectives 1
• Functions 1
• Organisational Set-up 3

II. ADVICE 7

III. JUDICIAL WORK 13

• Litigation at Delhi High Court 16
• Litigation (Lower Court) Section, Tis – Hazari, New Delhi 17
• Tribunals 18
• LIMBS (Legal Information and Management Briefing System) 20

IV. LEGAL REFORMS 25

• Management of Commercial Courts 25
• Bar Council of India 28
• Vision @ 2047 31

V. TRANSPARENCY 33
• Right to Information Cell 33
• Public Grievance (PG) Cell 34
• Vigilance Unit 36
• Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women
at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 38

VI. NOTARY 39

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 VII. DIGITALISATION AND CYBER SECURITY 43
• Department’s Initiatives on Cyber Security 44
• Jagarookta Session 45
• Institutionalising Cyber Policy 46

VIII. BUDGET AND AUDIT 47

• Integrated Finance Division 47
• Status of Audit Observations 48

IX. ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION 49

50
• India International Arbitration Centre 51
• Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 and Arbitration Council of India 52
• Mediation Bill, 2021 52
• AMRCD/ AMRD

X. HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT 57

• Capacity Building 57
• Training Division 58
• Administration of Indian Legal Services 59
• Gender Parity 63
• Representation of SC, ST, OBC, and Divyangjans in Department of Legal Affairs 64

XI. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE UNIT 65

XII. INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL 69

II

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
XIII. LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA 83

XIV. INDIAN LAW INSTITUTE 89

XV. CENTRAL AGENCY SECTION 95

XVI. BRANCH SECRETARIATS 101

1. Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru 101
2. Branch Secretariat, Chennai 105
3. Branch Secretariat, Kolkata 107
4. Branch Secretariat, Mumbai 113

XVII. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND COOPERATION SECTION 117

• International Arbitration 117
• International Activities 117
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) 118
• Foreign Visits 120
• Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) 124
• Service of Summons under Hague Convention 124

XVIII. ACHIEVEMENTS AND MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS 125

• Monitoring and Evaluation Section Setup 125
• Special Campaign 2.0 125
• GeM – Government e-Marketplace 128
• Internship Programme 129
• Young Professionals 132

XIX. EVENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE 133

133
• Social Media Cell 133
• Activities conducted/ coordinated by the Social Media Cell
• Dissemination of Activities and Events Organised by 171
Department of Legal Affairs in 2022-23 to Press Information Bureau

III

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 TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure I 1: Organisational setup of the Department of Legal Affairs 3
Figure I 2: Offices of the Department of Legal Affairs 5
Figure II 1: Advice Section 7
Figure II 2: Organisational setup and process  8
Figure II 3: Subject-wise categories of advice  10
Figure II 4: Ministry/Department wise advice rendered  11
Figure III 1: Judicial Section  13
Figure III 2: Officers and Employees of Delhi High Court (Litigation Section)  16
Figure III 3: Officers and Employees of Litigation (Lower Court) Section,Tis–Hazari, New Delhi 17
Figure III 4: Legal Information and Management Briefing System Section  20
Figure III 5: Outreach of LIMBS Portal  22
Figure III 6: Training at West Central Railways, Mumbai  24
Figure III 7: Training at North Block, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance  24
Figure IV 1: Administration III  25
Figure IV 2: Highlights of Vision @ 2047  32
Figure V 1: Right to Information Cell  33
Figure V 2: Public Grievance Cell  35
Figure V 3: Vigilance Unit  36
Figure VI 1: Notary Cell  39
Figure VI 2: Transformation from Physical to Paperless Governance  42
Figure VII 1: Cyber Cell  43
Figure VII 2: Features of the Cyber Security Crisis Management Plan (CCMP)  44
Figure VII 3: Do’s and Don’ts to be cyber-secure.  46
Figure IX 1: Alternate Dispute Resolution  49
Figure IX 2: Structure of AMRCD  53
Figure IX 3: Procedure of AMRCD  54
Figure IX 4: Procedure of AMRD  56
Figure X 1: Training Division and Administration I  58
Figure X 2: Administration IV  60
Figure X 3: Administration II  61
Figure XI 1: Official Language Unit  65
Figure XI 2: Hindi Workshop organised on 27.09.2022  67
Figure XI 3: Hindi Essay Competition conducted by the Department of Legal Affairs  68
Figure XI 4: Minister of Law & Justice, Shri. Kiren Rijiju, distributing a certificate to the
winner in Hindi Competition  68
Figure XII 1: Presence of ITAT  69
Figure XII 2: Pendency of ITAT cases  74
Figure XII 3: Achievements of ITAT in 2022  76
Figure XII 4: Inauguration of New office premises at Raipur Bench  78
Figure XII 5: Orientation and Training of New Members of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal
at New Delhi on 07 February, 2022  78

IV

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Figure XII 6: Hindi Pakhwada Closing Ceremony at ITAT Mumbai Benches  79

Figure XIII 1: Number of Male and Female Employees in the Law Commission
of India (in percentage)  86
Figure XIV 1: Indian Law Institute  89
Figure XIV 2: Academic Programmes offered by the Institute  91
Figure XIV 3: Strength of Scholars in the Academic Year 2022-23  92
Figure XIV 4: Percentage share of Male and Female employees  92
Figure XV 1: Central Agency Section  95
Figure XV 2: Central Agency Section and its Core Functions  96
Figure XV 3: Percentage Share of Male and Female Employees  96
Figure XV 4: Number of Pending, Disposed and Filed Cases  97
Figure XVI 1: Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru  101
Figure XVI 2: Employees performing Yoga Asanas on the occasion of International Yoga Day 102
Figure XVI 3: Deputy Director of the Hindi Teaching Scheme, Ministry of Home Affairs,
Bengaluru distributing prizes to the winner of Competition 103
Figure XVI 4: Employees sharing their insightful thoughts on the occasion of Constitution Day 104
Figure XVI 5: Branch Secretariat, Chennai  105
Figure XVI 6: Branch Secretariat, Kolkata  107
Figure XVI 7: Employees during practice of common yoga Protocol on 29th April 2022  111
Figure XVI 8: Employees performing yoga during International Yoga Day on 21st June 2022 111
Figure XVI 9: Integrity Pledge being administered by In-Charge, Branch Secretariat,
Kolkata on 31st October 2022  112
Figure XVI 10: Employees being administered ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Pledge’ by the
Incharge of Branch Secretariat  113
Figure XVI 11: Branch Secretariat, Mumbai  113
Figure XVII 1: Shri. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, Department of Legal Affairs and
Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs attended
the meeting from the Indian side  119
Figure XVIII 1: Swachhata Campaign at Library, Department of Legal Affairs  127
Figure XVIII 2: Digitisation of Records  127
Figure XVIII 3: Month wise gender representation of Interns at the Department of
Legal Affairs between July and December, 2022  130
Figure XVIII 4: Felicitation of Interns  130
Figure XVIII 5: Interns sharing their Internship experience at the Department of Legal Affairs 131
Figure XVIII 6: Young Professionals  132
Figure XIX 1: Social Media Cell  133
Figure XIX 2: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at Dong Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
and Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at Nainital,
Uttarakhand on International Yoga Day  135
Figure XIX 3: International Yoga Day at the Department of Legal Affairs  136
Figure XIX 4: Digital India Week – NOAP and LIMBS  137

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 Figure XIX 5: Minister of Law and Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at the launch of the Notary Online
Application Portal  138
Figure XIX 6: Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign at the Department of Legal Affairs  139
Figure XIX 7: Co-Vid 19 Vaccination Drive at the Department of Legal Affairs, New Delhi  140
Figure XIX 8: National Sports Day at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi 141
Figure XIX 9: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Law & Justice
Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at LIMBS-FAB launch at Udaipur, Rajasthan  142
Figure XIX 10: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at Inter Ministry Bar and Bench
Badminton Championship  142
Figure XIX 11: Functions of Notaries  142
Figure XIX 12: ITAT Online Application Portal  143
Figure XIX 13: Cyber Security Tips  144
Figure XIX 14: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Law & Justice
Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at Hindi Pakhwada Closing Ceremony, Dr. Ambedkar
International Centre, New Delhi  145
Figure XIX 15: 20th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization  146
Figure XIX 16: British High Commissioner to India, H.E. Mr Alex Ellis with Law Secretary Dr. Niten
Chandra, Officers and Staff of Department of Legal Affairs, Shastri Bhawan,
New Delhi  146
Figure XIX 17: Special Campaign 2.0 at Department of Legal Affairs  147
Figure XIX 18: Shri R. Venkataramani, the Attorney General for India  148
Figure XIX 19: Online Interview for Notaries held at the Department of Legal Affairs  148
Figure XIX 20: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor
S.P. Singh Baghel with Officers from Ministry of Law & Justice at Law Ministers and
Law Secretaries Conference, Kevadia, Gujarat  149
Figure XIX 21: Montage on Ayurveda Day, 2022  150
Figure XIX 22: Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel and Officers of
Ministry of Law & Justice at Fit India Freedom Run 2022, India Gate, New Delhi  150
Figure XIX 23: Officers and staff of Department of Legal Affairs observing Vigilance Awareness
Week, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi  151
Figure XIX 24: Unity Day Pledge at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi  151
Figure XIX 25: Cyber security workshop at the Department of Legal Affairs  152
Figure XIX 26: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at Central Agency Section, Supreme
Court of India, New Delhi  153
Figure XIX 27: From L-R, Justice K. T. Shankaran-Member, Justice Shri Rituraj Awasthi-Chairperson,
Shri M. Karunanithi, Part-time Member  153
Figure XIX 28: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju endorsing the pledge to
abide by the Constitution of India  154
Figure XIX 29: Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel and Vice-Minister of
Justice and Internal Affairs of Mongolia Ms. Bayarsaikhan Solongoo  155
Figure XIX 30: Minister of State of Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at Rozgar Mela  155
Figure XIX 31: Poster on the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women 156

VI

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Figure XIX 32: Nukkad Natak performance at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi  157
Figure XIX 33: Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Balaclava, Mauritius  158
Figure XIX 34: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju with Minister of State for Law & Justice
Professor S.P. Singh Baghel and Law Secretary Dr Niten Chandra attending the
9th Meeting of the Ministers of Justice of SCO Member States  158
Figure XIX 35: Poster on International Human Rights Day  159
Figure XIX 36: Officers involved in the negotiations between India and EuropeanUnion on
Free Trade Agreement Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi  160
Figure XIX 37: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju, in the Observation of International
Year of Millets 2023, at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi 160
Figure XIX - 38: A glimpse of the video posted on social media on National Girl Child Day 161
Figure XIX - 39: Poster on 74th Republic Day 162
Figure XIX - 40: Poster on International Day of Women & Girls in Science 162
Figure XIX - 41: Poster on World Day of Social Justice 163
Figure XIX - 42: Glimpse from the Orientation meeting on Simplification of Laws at
Department of Legal Affairs 164
Figure XIX - 43: Glimpse from the Conference on Sustainable Development organised by Law
Commission of India in Udaipur 164
Figure XIX - 44: Poster on National Science Day 165
Figure XIX - 45: Poster on Zero Discrimination Day 166
Figure XIX - 46: Meeting of a delegation from United Kingdom with the officers of
Department of Legal Affairs 166
Figure XIX - 47: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju addressing the attendees of 23rd
Commonwealth Law Conference 167
Figure XIX - 48: Cultural events & Rangoli Competition held on the occasion of
International Women’s Day 168
Figure XIX - 49: Har Ghar Dhyan Meditation Session held at the Department of Legal Affairs 168
Figure XIX - 50: Poster on International Day of Forests 169
Figure XIX - 51: Visit by women officers and staff of Department of Legal Affairs to Amrit Udyan170
Figure XIX 52: Legal Interns at the Department of Legal Affairs 170
Figure XIX 53: Social Media Performance 172

VII

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 LIST OF TABLES
Table III 1: Number of Empanelled Counsels in States/Union Territories 15
Table III 2: Litigation before the High Court of Delhi 16
Table III 3: Budgetary Allocation and Expenditure Incurred in D (2022-23) 17
Table III 4: Cases before various District Courts as well as in the Consumer Forums/Tribunals in Delhi 18
Table III 5: Details of Tribunals constituted by the Parliament 19
Table IV 1: Courts established under Commercial Courts Act, 2015 26
Table IV 2: Private and Government Law Colleges and Universities 29
Table V 1: RTI applications and disposal 34
Table V 2: Status of Public Grievances in CPGRAMS 35
Table VI 1: Notaries appointed by the Central Government since inception 40
Table VI 2: Transformation from Service Plus to NOAP 42
Table VIII 1: Head-wise expenditure statement for the years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 48
Table VIII 2: Audit Para No.12.1 of Report No.6 of 2020 reg. Grant for construction of
auditorium not used since January 2000 48
Table X 1: Name of the posts and their Groups 62
Table X 2: Number of Women Employees 64
Table X 3: Number of Employees and Percentage under different categories  64
Table XII 1: Presence of ITAT 70
Table XII 2: Administrative structure of ITAT 70
Table XII 3: ITAT Bench Strength 71
Table XII 4: Zone-wise Location of Benches 72
Table XII 5: Category wise ITAT Staff Statistics 81
Table XII 6: ITAT Female Employee Statistics 82
Table XV 1: Ministry-wise number of cases filed 98
Table XV 2: Ministry-wise number of disposed cases 100
Table XVI 1: Details of settled Audit Objections during 01.04.2016 to 31.03.2018
for the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata 109
Table XVI 2: Details of outstanding Audit Objections during 01.04.2018 to 30.04.2022
for the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata 109
Table XVII 1: Details of Foreign Visits undertaken by the Minister of Law and Justice and
Officials of the Department of Legal Affairs and Law Officers 120
Table XVIII 1: Achievements under Special Campaign 2.0 126
Table XVIII 2: Data for Financial Year 2022-23 128
Table XVIII 3: Number of Interns in 2022  129

VIII

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

IX

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 NOTE FROM THE
LAW SECRETARY
T
he year 2022-23 was significantly eventful for the Department of Legal
Affairs. The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019 was
amended as the India International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019 to set
the stage for making India a global hub for arbitration. The Mediation Bill
was examined by the Rajya Sabha Committee and its Report was received by the
Department. With the appointment of Members, the Law Commission of India
became functional. The 9th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
was held at the Ministerial-Level to reaffirm the commitment of Member States
on international cooperation in the field of Law and Justice. The communication
strategy of the Department was overhauled by induction of professional Social
Media team which helped to keep the public at large abreast of happenings in the
Department of Legal Affairs. The All India Conference of Law Ministers and Law
Secretaries was organised in Kevadia, Gujarat which enabled strengthening the
principles of cooperative federalism in governance. A unanimous resolution was
passed for modernisation and simplification of Indian Legal System to make it
citizen centric and business friendly. Thrust was laid on using regional language
including Hindi in legislation and court proceedings. Bar Council of India took
number of steps to promote legal reforms in the country including using Hindi
in legal education as well as in court proceedings. Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaties with Bulgaria & Iran was ratified. Negotiations continued with United
Kingdom for exchange of legal services.

All these would not have been possible without modernisation and automation
of internal processes. More than one crore official documents were digitized,
physical file system was abandoned and replaced by forward looking system of
e-Office 7.0. All Officers were given training for use of latest technology for office
automation and to enhance their capacity for research and advisory services.
Young Professionals were engaged to assist the Department in research and
analysis of contemporary legal issues and pave the way for reforms in public
policy that would make the Government citizen-centric, technology driven and
future ready for broad-based general well-being of the citizens in the ‘Amrit Kaal’
that India is experiencing.

For the curious readers this brief note can only whet the appetite. The details
in the Annual Report will help the readers fulfill their curiosity.

DR. NITEN CHANDRA

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

I: ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

VISION
To achieve excellence in legal affairs for accomplishing the goals set out in the Constitution
of India.

MISSION
To design, develop and maintain an environment for enabling individuals, organisations
and institutions in Government to meet the challenges in the fields of legal advice,
litigation, legal education and research.

OBJECTIVES
1. To bring in legal reforms to achieve the vision and mission of the Department;

2. To facilitate the functioning of Ministries and Departments for good governance by

providing appropriate legal advice and opinion;

3. To reform the Indian Legal Service to make it efficient and responsive;

4. To develop a comprehensive e-governance solution for the conduct of litigation;

5. To transform the Department of Legal Affairs through Information-Technology;

6. To reduce litigation and encourage settlement of disputes through Alternative Dispute

Resolution (ADR) mechanisms;

7. To promote excellence in the legal profession;

8. To reform legal education.

FUNCTIONS
The Department has been allocated the following items as per the Government of India
(Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961:

1. Advice to Ministries on legal matters including interpretation of the Constitution and

the laws, conveyancing and engagement of counsel to appear on behalf of the Union
of India in the High Courts and subordinate courts where the Union of India is a party;

2. Attorney General of India, Solicitor General of India, and other Central Government
law Officers of the States whose services are shared by the Ministries of the
Government of India;

3. Conduct of cases in the Supreme Court and the High Courts on behalf of the Central

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 Government and on behalf of the Governments of States participating in the Central
Agency Scheme;

4. Reciprocal arrangements with foreign countries for the service of summons in civil
suits for the execution of decrees of Civil Courts, for the enforcement of maintenance
orders, and for the administration of the estates of foreigners dying in India intestate;

5. Authorisation of Officers to execute contracts and assurances of property on

behalf of the President under Article 299(1) of the Constitution, and authorisation
of Officers to sign and verify plaints or written statements in suits by or against the
Central Government;

6. Indian Legal Service;

7. Treaties and agreements with foreign countries in matters of civil law;

8. Law Commission of India;

9. Legal profession including the Advocates Act, 1961 (25 of 1961) and persons entitled to
practice before the High Courts;

10. Enlargement of the jurisdiction of Supreme Court and the conferring thereon of
further powers; persons entitled to practice before the Supreme Court, references to
the Supreme Court under Article 143 of the Constitution of India;

11. Administration of the Notaries Act, 1952 (53 of 1952);

12. Income-tax Appellate Tribunal.

The Department has also been allocated administration of the following Acts:-
a) The Advocates Act, 1961
b) The Notaries Act, 1952
c) The Advocates’ Welfare Fund Act, 2001
d) The Commercial Courts Act, 2015
e) The India International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019

Additionally, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and the Law Commission of India fall
under the administrative purview of the Department. The Department is also in-charge
of all administrative aspects of the Indian Legal Service. This Department also handles
the appointment of the Attorney General of India, the Solicitor General of India, and the
Additional Solicitor General of India. This Department approves grant-in-aid to specific

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

institutions active, such as the Indian Law Institute, in order to encourage legal education
and research and to advance the legal profession.

ORGANISATIONAL SET-UP
The Main Secretariat of the Department of Legal Affairs is located in New Delhi, and
Branch Secretariats are located in Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. The types of
responsibilities performed can be roughly divided into two categories: advice work and
litigation work. The organisation chart of the Department of Legal Affairs is as follows:-

Figure I 1
Organisational setup of the Department of Legal Affairs

•Bengaluru •Kolkata
•Chennai •Mumbai

B
SECR RANC
ETA H
RIA •Central Agency Section
•Law Commission of India
TS
OR

•Income Tax Appellate

G AN

Tribunal
ISATIO
NS

DEPARTMENT
OF LEGAL
BOD NTEE
GRA

AFFAIRS
IES

•India International
Arbitration Center
•Arbitration Council of India
DIV
SE ISIONS
CTI
ONS •Indian Law Institute
|

•Training Division •Notary Section

•Administration I-IV •Public GrievancesCell
•Advice Section •Receipts & Issue Cell
•RTI Cell •Vigilance Unit
•Cash Section •Implementation Cell
•Hindi Section •Judicial Section
•Litigation Section •Library & Research
Section

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 I. MAIN SECRETARIAT
i. The Main Secretariat has the Law Secretary as its head, who is assisted by Additional
Secretaries, Joint Secretaries, and several levels of Legal Advisers. The Department's
legal advisers are organised into small groups, led by an Officer with the rank of
Additional Secretary or Joint Secretary & Legal Adviser. For the various Ministries/
Departments of the Indian Government assigned to their respective groups, these
groups of legal advisers offer legal assistance on legal issues and conveyancing.

ii. The work relating to the Railway Board and the Department of Telecommunications
organisations is handled by an officer at the Joint Secretary level. In addition, the
Officers of the Indian Legal Services are employed by SFIO, NTRO, CBI, the Ministry
of Defence, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs.

iii. The Central Agency Section, which is currently led by the Law Secretary and supported
by Officers from the Government Advocates cadre of the ILS and other supporting
staff, handles litigation at the Supreme Court on behalf of all Ministries/Departments
of the Government of India as well as some administrations of the Union Territories.

iv. The Litigation (High Court) Section, currently led by an Additional Legal Adviser,
handles the litigation work in the High Court of Delhi and in CAT (Principal Bench) on
behalf of all Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.

v. The Litigation (Lower Court) Section, currently supervised by an Assistant Legal

Adviser, handles the litigation work in the District Judiciary of Delhi.

vi. The Department has established a separate cell called the ‘Implementation Cell’ to
handle the implementation of the recommendations of the Law Commission of India
and the administration of the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Advocates Welfare Fund
Act, 2015. The Cell also administers the subject of ‘Legal Education’ as provided under
Entry 26 of List III to the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure I 2:
Offices of the Department of Legal Affairs

OFFICES OF DEPARTMENT
OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

Delhi

Mumbai Kolkata

Bengaluru

Chennai

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 II. BRANCH SECRETARIATS
The Department of Legal Affairs has Branch Secretariats at Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata
and Mumbai.

i. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, BENGALURU– It has jurisdiction over the States of Karnataka

and Andhra Pradesh. It is headed by an officer of the rank of an Additional Legal Adviser.

ii. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, CHENNAI– It has jurisdiction over the States of Tamil Nadu,
Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry. It is headed by an Officer of the rank of a
Deputy Legal Adviser.

iii. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, KOLKATA– It has jurisdiction over the States of West Bengal,
Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim,
Orissa, Assam, Bihar and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is headed by an Officer of the
rank of an Additional Government Advocate.

iv. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, MUMBAI– It has jurisdiction over the entire Western Region
consisting of the States of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and
Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is headed by an
Officer of the rank of a Senior Government Advocate.

All the Branch Secretariats perform an extended function of the Main Secretariat, such
as rendering legal opinion and handling litigation pertaining to the Central Government,
in the respective States under their jurisdiction.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

II: ADVICE

1. There are three Advice Sections in the Department of Legal Affairs; namely, Advice A,
Advice B and Advice C. The Advice A and Advice B Sections facilitate the movement of
files relating to the requests for advice received from various Ministries/Departments for
legal opinion. The requests received for legal advice are placed before the concerned
group heads to whom a particular Ministry/Department has been allocated to. To make
functioning more convenient, the various Ministries/Departments of the Government of
India are distributed between Advice A and Advice B Sections:

Figure II-1:
Advice Section

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 Figure II 2:
Organisational setup and process

Organisational setup and process

ADVICE GROUP
HEADS
• Assistant Legal ADMINISTRATIVE ADVICE A, B AND C
Advisers MINISTRIES/ • Superintendent
DEPARTMENT (Legal)
•Deputy Legal
Advisers • Assistant (Legal)
•Additional Legal
Advisers

The following Ministries/Departments/Organisations are dealt by Advice ‘A’ Section:

1. Ministry of Home Affairs
2. Ministry of External Affairs
3. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
4. Ministry of Defence
5. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
6. Ministry of Labour and Employment
7. Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers
8. Ministry of Steel
9. Ministry of Mines
10. Department of Justice
11. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
12. Ministry of Coal
13. Ministry of Communications
14. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
15. Development of North Eastern Region
16. Union Public Service Commission
17. Staff Selection Commission
18. Central Information Commission
19. Ministry of Shipping
20. Ministry of Civil Aviation
21. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
22. Ministry of Minority Affairs
23. Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
24. Ministry of Tourism
25. Election Commission of India
26. Central Vigilance Commission
27. Conveyancing matters including house building advance cases of all the Ministries
and Departments.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

The following Ministries/Departments/Organisations are dealt by Advice ‘B’ Section:

1. Ministry of Finance
2. Ministry of Corporate Affairs
3. Ministry of Heavy Industry & Public Enterprises
4. Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
5. Ministry of Railways
6. Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
7. Ministry of Commerce & Industry
8. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
9. Lok Sabha Secretariat
10. Rajya Sabha Secretariat
11. President Secretariat
12. Prime Minister Office
13. Cabinet Secretariat
14. Ministry of Science & Technology
15. Ministry of Jal Shakti
16. Ministry of Textiles
17. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
18. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
19. Department of Atomic Energy
20. Ministry of Power
21. Comptroller and Auditor General for India
22. NITI Aayog
23. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
24. Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
25. Ministry of Agriculture
26. Ministry of Rural Development
27. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
28. Ministry of Education
29. Ministry of Culture
30. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports
31. Ministry of Food Processing Industries
32. Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
33. Department of Space
34. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
35. Ministry of Women & Child Development
36. Ministry of Earth Sciences
37. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
38. Ministry of Cooperation
39. Ministry of AYUSH
40. Department of Legal Affairs
41. Legislative Department
42. Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology

At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 9 6/14/2023 11:39:29 AM

 1.1 REQUESTS FOR ADVICE RECEIVED IN ADVICE ‘A’ SECTION
1.1.1. The Advice ‘A’ Section received 6127 references from various Ministries/Departments
of the Government of India for the vetting of legal documents and for the tendering
of legal opinions/advice on various issues. The Officials of this Department took
part in 165 national and international conferences and meetings for advice work.
1.1.2. 213 references relating to examination from the angle of conveyancing, which
include international agreements, were received.
1.1.3. 4885 SLPs/litigation issues, 113 Cabinet Notes/Legislative Proposals, and 103
references pertaining to State Bills and Ordinances were examined.
1.1.4. Apart from tendering legal advice, this Section dealt with references and other
communications received by the Minister and Officers of this Department.
1.1.5. 82 RTI applications and 20 public grievances pertaining to the Advice Sections
were dealt with.

Figure II 3:
Subject-wise categories of advice

296 Cabinet 92 Parliament

Notes Matters
365 Meetings/ 213 90
Minutes/Misc Conveyancing State Bills
1750 Vetting of 78 Private
Counter Affidavit Members Bills

1685 Litigation 6568

Matters References
Related to
17323 Eviction Cases
Total Advice
Requested

2384 Special 3802 General

Leave Petitions Advice

1.2 REQUESTS FOR ADVICE RECEIVED IN ADVICE ‘B’ SECTION

1.2.1. Advice B Section received 10,775 requests from various Ministries/Departments of
the Government of India for vetting of legal documents and legal opinion/advice on
various issues.

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At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 10 6/14/2023 11:39:29 AM

 11
2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Fisheries, Animal

15
Road Transport

42
Textile Home Affairs

77
1875

At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 11
Husbandary and Dairying & Highways
Youth Affairs Petroleum &

13
Environment, Forest

33
Finance

76
1639

& Sports Natural Gas & Climate Change

Science &

36

45
DGFT Defence
1821

68
Technology Coal
Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha

21
Cabinet

34
DoPT
294

55
Secretariat Secretariat Secretariat
Labour and

10
35
Tourism Mines Social Justice &
248

66
Empowerment Employment

Space Railways Consumer Affairs, Food Telecommunication

417

146
285

54
& Public Distribution
Heavy

12
I&B conveyancing
213

136
46
Industries Misc.

7
32
Steel AYUSH Agriculture and Law & Justice
155

54

Family Welfare

6
26
Atomic Energy Cooperation Ports, Shipping & CPWD
331

52

Waterways
Health &

8
24
NITI Aayog Tribal Affairs
158

43

Civil Aviation Family Welfare

water

5
21
CAG MSME
160

50

Power resources
National Security

1
Figure II 4:

26
Earth Science Corporate Post
116

Council Secretariat
165

Affairs
Housing &
18
NTRO Culture Skill Development

112
173

46

& Enterpreneurship Urban Affairs

Minority Commerce &
21

10
98

Statistics & PI Rural

47

Affairs Development Industries

New Renewable Parliamentary External

7
14
84
Ministry/Department wise advice rendered

42

Energy Affairs MEITY Affairs

Chemical Fertilizers

1
27
75

MNRE Education
38

and Petrochemicals WCD

6/14/2023 11:39:29 AM
 1.2.2. 183 Cabinet Notes/ Legislative Proposals, and 2810 SLPs/Litigation matters were
received for examination/advice.
1.2.3. The Officers of this Department participated in 209 national/ international meetings
and conferences for advice work.
1.2.4. This Section also dealt with references and official communications received by the
Minister’s Office and Officers of this Department.
1.2.5. 92 Parliament Questions including assurances were processed.

1.3 REQUESTS FOR ADVICE RECEIVED IN ADVICE ‘C’ SECTION

1.3.1 Seven new cases on different subjects were sent for the opinion of the Attorney
General for India, Solicitor General of India, and Additional Solicitor General of India
through this Section, out of which five opinions were received and forwarded to the
respective Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.

1.3.2 The Section has rendered general and secretarial assistance to the Officers in the
Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and
Justice and in finding precedents on different subjects.

1.3.3 The Section disposed of three RTI applications this year.

1.3.4 The files related to Law Officers from 1944 to 2023 and others related to advice
of the Officers of our Department from 1991 to 2019 are being digitized. 4.59
lakh pages with 8937 files were scanned, which include files relating to Attorney
General's opinions from the year 1944 to 2023 and also the opinions of the Officers
of this Department from the year 1991 to 1997.

1.3.5 Out of 8937 scanned files in Advice C, 2061 files related to Attorney General's
opinion were uploaded on e-Office portal.

1.3.6 The subject list of files from the year 1944 to 1997 regarding scrutiny of at least
25-year-old records were prepared and follow up action to send them to the
National Archive of India was taken.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

III: JUDICIAL WORK

T
he Judicial Section is responsible for the conduct of litigation of the Government
of India and Union Territories before the Supreme Court, various High Courts,
the Central Administrative Tribunals and the District Courts. Its functions include
processing the appointments of the Attorney General for India, the Solicitor General
and the Additional Solicitors General of India, Central Government Counsels in the
Supreme Court, High Courts, the Central Administrative Tribunals, the District Courts
and the Consumer Forums in various States for conducting litigation work on behalf
of the Central Government, engaging Law Officers and other Counsels on behalf of
the Ministries/Departments for conducting cases before the Supreme Court, the High
Courts, the Tribunals, the Commissions of Inquiry, the District Courts, the Quasi-Judicial
Authorities etc. Its functions also include formulation and settlement of their terms and
conditions for conducting cases. The Judicial Section is also responsible for nomination
of Arbitrators in disputes between the various Departments of the Government of India
and private parties.

Figure III 1:
Judicial Section

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 The Section is responsible for issuing statutory orders authorizing various Officers
to sign and verify plaints and written statements in suits before any Court with civil
jurisdiction or in writ proceedings by or against Central Government under Order
XXVII, Rule 1 of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908. This Section authorizes Officers to sign
contracts and agreements on behalf of the President of India under Article 299(1) of the
Constitution of India.

This Section deals with the work of reciprocal arrangements with foreign
countries for service of summons in civil suits, execution of decrees of Civil Courts,
enforcement of maintenance orders and administration of the estates of foreigners dying
intestate in India.

India acceded to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and
Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters and also to the Hague Convention
on Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters in the year 2007. The
Ministry of Law and Justice is the Central Authority for both the Conventions. The Judicial
Section deals with the processing of service of summons/notices received through
Judicial Authorities from foreign countries under the said Convention to Indian nationals.
It also deals with forwarding of summons/notices originating from Judicial Authorities of
our country to the Central Authorities of foreign countries.

The activities undertaken by the Judicial Section are as follows:

1. Conduct of Central Government litigation before various courts of law through

Law Officers/Panel Counsels:

a) On 01.10.2022, Shri R. Venkataramani, Senior Advocate, was appointed as the new

Attorney General of India.

b) Additional Solicitors General of India for the High Court of Rajasthan and for the
Allahabad High Court were re-appointed for a further term of three years. New
Additional Solicitors General of India were appointed for the High Courts of Calcutta,
Jharkhand, Madras and for the Southern Zone (which includes Kerala, Telangana, and
Andhra Pradesh).

c) Resignation of two Additional Solicitors General of India, i.e. one for the Supreme
Court of India and other for the High Court of Calcutta was accepted.

d) Eight new Deputy Solicitors General of India were engaged afresh before various
High Courts / Benches of High Courts across the country. The terms of four Deputy
Solicitors General of India were extended for a further term of three years.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Table III-1:
Number of Empanelled Counsels in States/Union Territories

S.NO NAME OF STATE/UT EMPANELLED

COUNSELS
1. Delhi 1392
2. West Bengal 314
3. Maharashtra 259
4. Telangana 120
5. Andhra Pradesh 42
6. Jharkhand 14
7. Arunachal Pradesh 09
8. Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar 06
9. Karnataka 04
10. Rajasthan 08
11. Tamil Nadu 04
12. Assam 03
13. Gujarat 02
14. Union Territory of Ladakh & Union 03
Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
15. Himachal Pradesh 02
TOTAL 2182

e) A number of advocates were empanelled or their terms as panel counsels were

extended for the various Courts / Tribunals in the States/Union Territories.

f) Resignations of 36 Panel Counsels (including two Deputy Solicitors General of India)

were accepted.

g) 318 proposals were received from the Ministries/Departments regarding separate

panels of Advocates and for the engagement of Law Officers, Panel Counsels and
private Advocates to represent them before various Courts on normal or on special
terms and conditions.

2. The Department has created thirteen new posts of Additional Solicitor General
of India, one each for the High Courts of Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gauhati,
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Orissa, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand and assigned the existing
post of Additional Solicitor General of India (Southern Zone) to the High Court
of Judicature at Hyderabad for the State of Telangana.

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 3. Nomination of Arbitration Panel Counsels in domestic as well as International
commercial disputes, involving Government/PSE on the one hand and PSE/private
party on the other:
Requests were received regarding the engagement of Arbitration Panel Counsels
to represent various Ministries/Departments in arbitration cases. In response to such
requests, Arbitration Panel Counsels were engaged in 290 arbitration cases.

4. RTI: 254 RTI applications were disposed of.

Litigation at Delhi High Court

The Litigation (HC) Section handles the litigation work at the High Court of Delhi on
behalf of all the Ministries/Departments of the Government of India, except the Income
Tax Department. The litigation work is dealt with by two Sections; Litigation (HC) Section
‘A’ and Section ‘B’, supervised by a Superintendent (L). Section ‘A’ deals with the advance
notices pertaining to the Writ Petitions, Letters Patent Appeals (LPA), and Miscellaneous
Petitions under Article 226 and Article 227 of the Constitution of India. Section ‘B’ deals
with cases relating to the Original, Appellate, Revisional and Writ jurisdictions of the High
Court of Delhi.

Figure III 2:
Delhi High Court Litigation Section

There is one Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG) and a panel of Central
Government Standing Counsel (CGSC), Senior Counsel and Government Pleaders (GPs)
to conduct litigation on behalf of the Central Government. Close liaison is maintained
between the concerned Ministry/Department and the nominated Panel Counsels to
safeguard the interests of the Government before the High Court of Delhi.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
The following table represents the number of cases received in the High Court of Delhi
during 2022-23 (Table III.2).

Table III 2
Litigation before the High Court of Delhi
Year NO. OF CASES RECEIVED
2022 - 2023 10,939

This Section deals with the payment of professional fee pertaining to Law Officers,
CGSCs, Senior Counsels and Government Pleaders on the panel. The requisite information
regarding budgetary allocations and expenditure details for the year F.Y.2022-23 are
furnished hereunder:-
Table III-3
Budgetary Allocation and Expenditure Incurred in D (2022-23)

S.No. Financial Year Budgetary Allocation Expenditure incurred

1. 2022-23 13.65 Crore 13.65 Crore

LITIGATION (LOWER COURT) SECTION, TIS – HAZARI, NEW DELHI

The litigation work in the various District Courts as well as in the Consumer Forums/
Tribunals in Delhi on behalf of all Ministries/Departments of the Government of India,
except the Income Tax Department, is handled by Litigation (LC) Section. The litigation work
is dealt with by an Assistant Legal Adviser and In-Charge assisted by a Superintendent
(Legal) and an Assistant (Legal).
Figure III 3:
Tis–Hazari, Litigation (Lower Court) Section, New Delhi

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 PANEL COUNSELS ENGAGED
There is a panel of senior Counsels and Additional Central Government Counsels who are
nominated for conducting cases on behalf of Union of India. On receipt of a request from
the Ministry/Department, a suitable Government Counsel is engaged to appear on their
behalf before the Courts. Close liaison is maintained between the various Departments
and the Government Counsels at all times to safeguard the interests of the Government
before the District Courts/Consumer Forums/Tribunals. There are 284 Panel Counsels
engaged for a tenure of three years.

Table III-4
Cases before various District Courts as well as in the Consumer
Forums/Tribunals in Delhi

Total Cases Cases Disposed

1158 44

BUDGET
When cases are decided by the Courts, the Government Counsels submit fee bill in a
prescribed format. This Section received 309 fee bills from Government Counsel/Senior
Panel Counsels. During the financial year 2022-23, this Section was allocated a budget
of ₹1,30,00,000, out of which ₹49,13,885 was utilised to settle the professional fee bills.

TRIBUNALS
The Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act, 1976 introduced Part XIV-A-Tribunals
to the Constitution, under which Article 323A and Article 323B were inserted. The details
of Tribunals constituted by the Parliament are as follows:

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Table III-5
Details of Tribunals constituted by the Parliament

S. NAME OF THE TRIBUNAL STATUTE UNDER WHICH MINISTRY/DEPARTMENT

No. THE TRIBUNAL HAS BEEN ADMINISTERING THE
CONSTITUTED TRIBUNAL
1. Industrial Tribunal The Industrial Disputes Act, Ministry of Labour &
1947 (14 of 1947) Employment
2. Income Tax Appellate Tribunal The Income Tax Act, 1961 Department of Legal Affairs
(43 of 1961)
3. Customs, Excise and Service The Customs Act, 1962 Department of Revenue,
Tax Appellate Tribunal (52 of 1962) Ministry of Finance
4. Appellate Tribunal under Smugglers and Foreign Department of Revenue,
the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Ministry of Finance
Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976
(Forfeiture of Property) Act, (13 of 1976)
1976 (13 of 1976)
5. Central Administrative Tribunal The Administrative Tribunals Department of Personnel
Act, 1985 (13 of 1985) & Training
6. Railway Claims Tribunal The Railway Claims Tribunal Act, Ministry of Railways
1987 (54 of 1987)
7. Securities Appellate The Securities Exchange Board Department of Economic
Tribunal of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992) Affairs, Ministry of Finance
8. Debts Recovery Tribunal The Recovery of Debts and Department of Financial
Bankruptcy Act, 1993 Services, Ministry of Finance.
(51 of 1993)
9. Debts Recovery Appellate The Recovery of Debts and Department of Financial
Tribunal Bankruptcy Act, 1993 (51 of Services, Ministry of Finance
1993)
10. Telecom Disputes Settlement The Telecom Regulatory Department of
and Appellate Tribunal Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 Communications, Ministry of
of 1997) Communications
11. National Company Law The Companies Act, 2013 Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Tribunal (18 of 2013)
12. National Company Law The Companies Act, 2013 Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Appellate Tribunal (18 of 2013)
13. National Consumer Disputes The Consumer Protection Act, Department of Consumer
Redressal Commission 2019 (35 of 2019) Affairs
14. Appellate Tribunal for The Electricity Act, 2003 Ministry of Power
Electricity (36 of 2003)
15. Armed Forces Tribunal The Armed Forces Act, 2007 Department of Defence
(55 of 2007)
16. National Green Tribunal The National Green Tribunal Ministry of Environment,
Act, 2010 (19 of 2010) Forests & Climate Change

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 LIMBS (LEGAL INFORMATION AND MANAGEMENT
T BRIEFING SYSTEM)
The Legal Information Management and Briefing System (LIMBS) is a web-based
application for monitoring all court cases where Union of India is a party. LIMBS came
into operation in February, 2016 and since then the application is working under the
supervision of the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice. It is an
innovative and easy to access online tool which is available 24x7 to all the stakeholders,
irs viz., senior Government Officials, Nodal Officers and users of Ministries/Departments.

, LIMBS Version 2.0 is an upgraded version of LIMBS and was launched in the year
2020 in collaboration with NIC. It is a dashboard-based system for the user Ministries/
Departments on which they can monitor their cases at a glance. This version uses Open
, Source technologies using Coordinator framework of PHP to enhance the security and
improve the efficiency of the system.

LIMBS also captures arbitration cases right from internal processing of the dispute at
Ministry/Department level followed by nomination of arbitrators, and the proceedings.
el The Department of Legal Affairs, Cabinet Secretariat, NITI Aayog and PMO can access
details of court cases on LIMBS. Central Agency Section (CAS) of the Department of Legal
Affairs also identifies and enters the details of important cases filed by the Union of India
(UoI) before the Supreme Court. Various research bodies such as the Indian Law Institute
can also access information available on LIMBS platform for research and study purpose.
c
ce
Figure III 4:
l
Legal Information and Management Briefing System Section
ce.

l
nce

of

irs

irs

er

,
ge

20

At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 20 6/14/2023 11:39:34 AM

2022-23 AT A GLANCE

EAC-PM (Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister) was also given access to
LIMBS Portal for preparation of white paper on litigation on behalf of Union of India.

To upgrade to a more automated system and to minimize the manual data entry process,
efforts are being made to integrate LIMBS with various Courts and Tribunal data bases
through APIs for seamless data transfer and update. In this regard, Supreme Court, High
Court, District Courts and 17 Tribunals were approached. Department of Legal Affairs, in
cooperation with NIC and respective Court/Tribunal Authorities, successfully integrated
LIMBS with the following Courts and Tribunals:

Courts/Tribunals integrated with LIMBS via API i.e.

• High Courts
• District and Session Courts

Tribunals (9):
1. Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)
2. Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)
3. Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL)
4. Customs Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) 9.68
5. Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT)
6. National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)
7. National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT)
8. National Green Tribunal (NGT)
9. Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT)

Integration of LIMBS with the Supreme Court and the remaining 4 Tribunals (AFT,
NCDRC, CGIT and Appellate Tribunals under SAFEMA) is under progress.

LIMBS was implemented in 55 Ministries of Government of India, its Departments

and attached offices and it brought all the stakeholders viz. users, Nodal Officers of the
various Ministry/Departments and advocates on a single platform. With the concerted
efforts of Ministries/Departments, the application has captured 9.68 lakh court cases
(including disposed of cases) through 14,385 registered users, thereby creating a unified
database of litigations pertaining to Union of India. The application has captured details
of 3,281 courts and 22,930 advocates.

21

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 Figure III 5:
Outreach of LIMBS Portal

OUTREACH OF
LIMBS PORTAL

90 50 34 6 311230 612770 9,68,000

NODAL OFFICERS JS LEVEL OTHERS AS LEVEL DISPOSED OF CASES PENDING CASES TOTAL CASES

KEY
OFFICIALS
55 89 22930 14385 400+
KEY REGISTERED REGISTERED ATTACHED/
OUTREACH MINISTRIES DEPARTMENTS ADVOCATES USERS SUBORDINATE/
PSU

MAIN FEATURES OF LIMBS

LIMBS is enabled with advanced data analytics. It has a separate domain to enter and
monitor cases pertaining to Administrative Mechanism for Resolution of Commercial
Disputes (AMRCD). Reports can also be generated under the ‘MIS Report’ tab. These
features facilitate monitoring of cases, uploading of fee bills by law Officers, panel
counsels and advocates. The main features of LIMBS are as follows:

(i) Dashboard: On the dashboard, users can view litigation status of the concerned
Ministry, viz. total number of cases entered, pending cases, disposed of cases,
cases pending for compliance, important cases, contempt cases, counsel wise top
10 cases, subject wise pending cases, etc.
(ii) MIS Reports: Users can view statistical reports or summary reports, viz. case status-
wise summary, case category-wise summary, financial implication-wise summary,
court wise summary, decided cases summary, total arbitration cases, total raised
bills, total nodal Officers list, total user list, etc.
(iii) Advanced Search: Through this powerful utility, users can search court cases
through various fields - Ministry/Department, court details, case category, financial
implication, case status, party name, advocate, system date, case date, next date of
hearing/judgment date and brief history.
(iv) Important Cases – A Nodal Officer has the facility to mark cases as ‘Important’ after
taking approval from the concerned Secretary. Users can also view important cases
of concerned Ministry/Department under Important Cases tab on the dashboard.
(v) Nodal Officers and Local Admins can activate newly registered users of concerned
Ministry/ Departments/ sub-Departments/ autonomous organizations/ CPSEs, etc.
They can change the profile of users who have retired or transferred and can delete
wrongly entered or duplicate cases.

22

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
(vi) Data Entry of a New Case and Case Updation - Users can enter new cases using
‘New Entry’ tab on dashboard. They can update last hearing dates and can upload
relevant documents relating to a case using ‘Compliance Entry’ under ‘My Court
Cases’ tab. Users can also edit or add basic detail of cases such as CNR number,
advocate’s name, mobile no, brief history, etc.
(vii Add Progress: Users can add day to day progress of the cases and display its
details on the web page.
(viii) Transfer of Cases: Users of one Ministry/Department can transfer cases to other
users of same Ministry/Department or to nodal Officers of other Ministries.
(ix) Arbitration Cases: Users can enter details using ‘Case Entry’ tab and can view
entered cases using the list under ‘Arbitration’ tab.
(x) Advocate Login: Presently, advocates can log into their accounts and enter new
cases. Advocates can update last hearing dates, next hearing dates, transfer cases
by marking status ‘This is not my case’ to the concerned user, send message to
respective user who is dealing with the case and can raise bill online.
(xi) Advice Module/ (SLP): SLP module was developed to capture timelines of physical
process to curb delays in timely filing of SLPs/Appeals.
(xii) Exception Cases: The exception cases are those cases containing exceptions/errors
related to courts, advocate details, case category, case status, financial implication,
case date and last date of hearing. To update the exceptions/errors, a sub- module
was developed.

UPGRADATION OF LIMBS
(i) FAB Module - On September 17, 2022, Minister of Law & Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju
inaugurated the FAB Module (Form for Appearance Bill) to enable law Officers to
raise bills online. This digital initiative not only saves time but also helps the smooth
processing of the bills.
(ii) Facility of CNR number (unique 16-digit number generated in every case in e-Courts
website) was added. Users can search their cases using CNR number.
(iii) Direct integration with Tribunals websites through APIs for minimizing errors of
Manual entry of cases.
(iv) Security Audit - Third party security audit of LIMBS application was completed.
(v) Integration of LIMBS with e-Office was started. Ministry/Department user can initiate
files seeking advice from LIMBS website to the Department. The Advice Sections
forward uploaded advice to the corresponding Joint Secretary of the said Ministry/
Department.
(vi) Central Agency Section - In-house digitization was done.
(vii) Regular LIMBS Workshop - LIMBS team provides training to Ministry/Department
users through both, online and offline mode.

IMPACT OF LIMBS
(i) LIMBS acts as a catalyst to bring improvement in monitoring of court cases by
Ministries/Departments and integrates it with e-Court application to provide a
complete and holistic solution. LIMBS uses a unified database, standard templates
and common nomenclature to eliminate the confusion and ambiguity in dealing
with court cases. SMS alerts to advocates, users and concerned Officers ensure

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At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 23 6/14/2023 11:39:34 AM

 that no case escapes attention. The MIS reports have improved the working of legal
cell in various Ministries/Departments.
(ii) LIMBS has thus revolutionized the litigation monitoring system of Union of India by
introducing accountability, ownership and cohesiveness among the users across
the Ministries and improving transparency through the entry of the necessary
information on this web application.

TRAINING CONDUCTED ON LEGAL INFORMATION AND

MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SYSTEM (LIMBS)
Department of Legal Affairs extended its support for smooth adoption of application by
all concerned Ministries/Departments. 162 training/meeting sessions (online/offline) were
conducted by the LIMBS team which covered Officers of various Ministries/Departments
to ensure effective dissemination and adoption of its features.

Figure III 6:
Training at West Central Railways, Mumbai

Figure III 7:
Training at North Block, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
IV. LEGAL REFORMS

MANAGEMENT OF COMMERCIAL COURTS

One of the key success factors in the transformation of economies is business’ confidence
in enforcement of contracts by the Courts. Both domestic and foreign investments
which are fundamental to economic growth involve entering of parties into commercial
contracts. Often, contracts result in disputes that require proper and speedy adjudication
by the Courts. This facilitates faster execution of contracts and reduces business costs
and enhances returns on investment.

Figure IV 1: Administration III

In order to ensure that commercial contracts are enforced properly and business
activities continue unimpeded, the Commercial Courts Act, 2015 was enacted and
Commercial Courts were established at the District levels. Five High Courts at Bombay,
Calcutta, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Madras exercise Original Civil Jurisdiction
wherein commercial divisions have been established. The Act was amended in 2018.
The specified value of the commercial disputes to be adjudicated by the Commercial
Courts is ₹3 lakhs. The Act simplifies the process of settlement of dispute by introducing
mechanism of Pre-Institution Mediation and Settlement (PIMS) where no interim relief
is contemplated.

The mediation is to be conducted under the aegis of the State Legal Services Authority
and District Legal Services Authority as provided under the National Legal Services
Authorities Act, 1987. On failure to resolve dispute through PIMS mechanism, the claimant
can approach the Courts for resolution of their commercial dispute. The amendments
also provide for establishment of Commercial Appellate Court at District level in such
territories wherein the High Courts do not enjoy ordinary original civil jurisdiction and the
commercial dispute case at the first instance is decided by a Court below the Court of
District Judge.

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 Table IV-1:
Courts established under Commercial Courts Act, 2015
S. HIGH Commercial Commercial Commercial Commercial Commercial
No. COURTS Courts Courts (At Appellate Division Appellate
(Below District Court Division
District Judge (District
Judge Level) Level) Judge Level)
1 High Court of 24 24 24 0 1
Jharkhand (as on
31.12.2022)
2 High Court of Nil Nil Nil 2 1
Himachal Pradesh
3 High Court of 6 6 6 N.A. 1
Sikkim
4 High Court of Delhi NA 35 NA 9 7
(as on 30.09.2022)
5 Gauhati High Court 34 4 34 - -
(as on 30.09.2022)
6 High Court of 114 34 29 3 3
Madras (as on
31.12.2022)
7 High Court of Me- - 1 - - 1
ghalaya
8 High Court of Ut- - 2 - Division Division
tarakhand (as on Bench at Bench at
30.09.2022) High Court High Court
9 High Court 117 37 37 2 1
of Patna
10 High Court of Ma- Nil Nil Nil -- 1
nipur
11 High Court of Kera- 56 0 14 0 1
la (as on 31.12.2022)
12 High Court of N.A. 4 N.A. High Court, High Court,
Calcutta Calcutta Calcutta
13 High Court of 118 76 32 1 1
Gujarat (as on
01.12.2022)
14 Punjab and Hary- 185 98 103 1 2
ana High Court (as
on 31.12.2022)
15 High Court of - 54 - - 3
Karnataka (as on
30.09.2022)

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

S. HIGH COURTS Commercial Commercial Commercial Commercial Commercial

No. Courts Courts (At Appellate Division Appellate
(Below District Court Division
District Judge (District
Judge Level) Level) Judge Level)
16 High Court of 101 90 88 4 4
Bombay (as on
30.09.2022)
17 High Court of - 9 1 - 1
Tripura
18 High Court of - 1 - - 1
Chhattisgarh
(as on 31.12.2022)
19 High Court of Mad- 7 5 1 Not Estab- 3
hya Pradesh (as on lished
01.12.2022)
20 High Court of Vide Notification LD (A) 2005/22-II dated:- 02.07.2019 which has
Jammu and been issued by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary
Kashmir and Affairs (Judicial Administration Section) Civil Secretariat, Srinagar/
Ladakh Jammu, the Courts of Additional District Judge (Bank Cases) at
Jammu and Srinagar are designated as Commercial Courts respec-
tively for Srinagar and Jammu districts. The Principal District Courts
in remaining districts of the UT have been designated as Commer-
cial Courts. Moreover the commercial cases including commercial
value (>₹500 crores) filed in the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir
and Ladakh are listed in the Benches constituted according to the
roaster of that week.
21 High Court of -- 2 -- 1 1
Andhra Pradesh
22 High Court of 4 -- 10 NA 1
Orissa (as on
30.09.2022)
23 High Court of -- 12 -- -- 2
Rajasthan (as on
01.12.2022)

There are 766 Commercial Courts constituted below District Judge level, 494
Commercial Courts at the District Judge level, 379 Commercial Appellate Division Courts
at District Judge Level. 25 Commercial Divisions and 38 Commercial Appellate Division
constituted in the High Courts.

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 BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA
The Bar Council of India is the statutory regulator of legal education and legal profession,
entrusted with maintaining and improving their standards. The Bar Council of India ensures
maintenance of professional standards of conduct and etiquette of advocates. It acts as
the Appellate Authority in disciplinary matters relating to conduct of Advocates while the
first authority in this regard is the concerned State Bar Council. The Bar Council of India,
under Section 48B of the Advocates Act, 1961, has the power of general supervision and
control over State Bar Councils and to issue directions for proper and efficient discharge
of the functions of State Bar Councils.

The Bar Council of India also conducts the All India Bar Examination for advocates who
graduated with effect from 2010 and are provisionally enrolled with their respective State
Bar Councils. The examination has to be cleared by such Advocates within a period of
two years of their provisional enrolment in order to obtain the Certificate of Practice.

LEGAL EDUCATION
The Advocates Act, 1961 lays down the standards for legal education in India. It confers
powers on the Bar Council of India to recognise Universities offering degrees in Law
for enrolment as an Advocate. In order to strengthen the outreach of legal education
in India, 23 National Law Universities have been established. The table below provides
State wise private as well as Government Law Colleges and Universities in India.
Rules of Legal Education have been formulated to maintain and raise the standards of
legal education of the Universities and Colleges imparting legal education.
The Rules specify minimum requirements, such as infrastructure, class rooms, minimum
library requirement, qualifications of faculties, moot courts, legal aid clinic, computer
facility, etc.
Compulsory clinical education through Drafting, Pleading and Conveyancing,
Professional Ethics, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Moot Court and Internship, which
includes pre-trial preparations, are also included in syllabus and encouraged.
Visit to police stations, courts, women cells, jail visits are important as it provides an
opportunity for practical observation.
The Prime Minister of India, in his speech on 30 April, 2022 at the Joint Conference
of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts urged the inclusion of certain
subjects in legal education such as blockchain technology, electronic discovery,
cyber security, robotic, Artificial Intelligence and bio­ethics. This has been adopted by
the Bar Council of India.
The syllabus and other norms are laid down by the Bar Council of India in consultation
with the Universities.
Rules of Legal Education provide for imparting legal education in English or in any other
regional language that allows students to appear in examinations in that chosen language.
The Bar Council of India conducts and promotes seminars and workshops by eminent
jurists and publishes journals of legal interest, namely, the Indian Bar Review.
Under Section 10 of the Advocates Act, 1961, the Legal Education Committee, chaired
by a former Supreme Court Judge, regulates the standards of legal education in India.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Table No IV-2
Private and Government Law Colleges and Universities

S.No. State Private Government

Law College University Law College University

1. Andhra Pradesh 29 4 10 9
2. Arunachal Pradesh 0 6 2 1
3. Assam 15 1 14 4
4. Bihar 10 3 15 12
5. Chhattisgarh 5 7 20 6
6. Delhi 15 2 4 4
7. Gujarat 67 12 32 12
8. Goa 0 0 2 1
9. Himachal Pradesh 10 9 4 2
10. Haryana 20 23 10 8
11. J&K 11 0 2 2
12. Jharkhand 5 10 6 7
13. Karnataka 103 10 10 5
14. Kerala 19 0 8 6
15. Madhya Pradesh 56 23 68 9
16. Maharashtra 131 17 38 12
17. Manipur 3 0 1 2
18. Meghalaya 0 2 4 2
19. Mizoram 0 0 1 1
20. Nagaland 2 0 1 1
21. Odisha 23 4 8 6
22. Puducherry 1 0 2 1
23. Punjab 29 11 14 4
24. Rajasthan 55 38 26 7
25. Sikkim 0 1 2 2
26. Tamil Nadu 2 15 10 2
27. Telangana 23 4 5 6
28. Tripura 0 1 1 1
29. Uttarakhand 32 8 5 3
30. Uttar Pradesh 223 27 47 20
31. West Bengal 31 10 11 12
Total 920 248 383 170

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 ACTIVITIES OF BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA
SURPRISE INSPECTION
The Bar Council of India has set up a High-Level Surprise Inspection Committee headed
by a former Chief Justice of High Court. The task of the Committee is to verify and
monitor the functioning of Centres of Legal Education for improving the standards of
legal education and legal profession.

REVIEW OF AIBE SYLLABUS AND PATTERN

The Bar Council of India, pursuant to the observations made by the Supreme Court of
India in Bar Council of India vs. Twinkle Rahul Mangaonkar and Ors., set up a Committee
headed by Justice Naveen Sinha, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India. The
Committee is analysing the course, curriculum, pattern of Bar Examination held in various
jurisdictions including UK and USA so that the syllabus and the pattern of the All India
Bar Examination can be made more meaningful to test the skills and knowledge of the
practitioners of law.

INTERNSHIP OF LAW STUDENTS AND FRESH LAW GRADUATES

The Bar Council of India is devising a scheme whereby examinations are held for fresh
law graduates to provide them internships under the best and noted Advocates of their
respective States according to their performance.
Training Programme and Seminars
The Bar Council of India conducted seminars and workshops on various topics
like “Court’s Technology and Access to Justice: Changing Perspectives”, “Lawyers
Contribution in Building the Society” and “Future of legal education and the scope of
globalisation of legal education” in the year 2022.

BHARATIYA BHASHA SAMITI

The Bar Council of India constituted the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti. Its members are
as follows: -

1. Justice S. A. Bobde, 6. Sri Ashok Mehta, Senior Advocate,

Former Chief Justice of India, High Court of Allahabad
President, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti of B.C.I. 7. Smt. Anjali Thakur, Advocate,
2. Mr. Manan Kumar Mishra, High Court of Bombay, Nagpur
Senior Advocate, Member, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti of B.C.I.
Chairman, Bar Council of India 8. Prof. Satyanarayana Sharma,
Working President, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti Former Dean of Law Department and
3. Justice L. Narasimha Reddy Former Principal, Ujjain
Former Chief Justice of Patna High Court 9. Prof. Vaidhyasubramaniam,
Vice-President, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti Vice Chancellor, SASTRA University,
4. Sri. Chamu Krishna Shastry 10. Dr. N. Gopukumar
Chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Joint Secretary, University Grants
5. Prof. (Dr.) P. Ishwara Bhat, Commission
Vice-Chancellor, KSLU 11. Mr. J.P.Singh,
Former Vice-Chancellor, NUJS Kolkata Assistant Registrar, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

The objective of the Committee is to make legal education accessible in regional languages
through translation of books. It has resolved that the task of providing Bharatiya Bhasha
vocabulary of words and phrases, which are commonly used in local language, will be
undertaken by a Sub-Committee consisting of the following-
1. Justice L. Narasimha Reddy,
Former Chief Justice of Patna High Court,
Vice-President, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti;
2. Mr. Chamu Krishna Shastry,
Chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti; and
3. Mrs. Anjali Thakur, Advocate.

ESTABLISHMENT OF INDIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LEGAL EDUCATION

AND RESEARCH
The Bar Council of India Trust established the India International University of
Legal Education and Research (IIULER), at Goa. The University offers integrated LL.B.,
LL.M, Ph.D. courses, as well as certificate and diploma courses. Special emphasis is
given to research.
According to Para-17.3 of New Education Policy, 2020, legal education will be
restructured to become globally competitive, adopting best practices and embracing
new technologies for wider access and timely delivery of justice. The inauguration of first
Academic Session of the University was held on 3rd December, 2022.

DISCIPLINARY MATTERS
The Bar Council of India, pursuant to the judgment of the Supreme Court of India in Civil
Appeal No. 7478/2019, heard 2370 transfer cases through Disciplinary Committees and
has been able to successfully dispose 1605 cases.

PUBLICATION OF BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA 'RULES FOR REGISTRATION AND

REGULATION OF FOREIGN LAWYERS OR FOREIGN LAW FIRMS IN INDIA, 2022'
The Bar Council of India, vide notification dated 10th March, 2023 published the Bar
Council of India Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers or Foreign Law
Firms in India, 2022 in the Gazette of India. The Rule provides for foreign lawyers and
foreign law firms to practice foreign law and diverse international law and international
arbitration matters in India, on the principle of reciprocity in a well-defined, regulated and
controlled manner. This will permit foreign lawyers and law firms, with some conditions
to set up offices in India on the basis of reciprocity and undertake arbitration practice.
The initiative of BCI will inter-alia facilitate the endeavor to establish India as a hub of
International Commercial Arbitration.

VISION @ 2047
The Prime Minister of India described the Vision @ 2047 as follows: -

“In this decade of ‘AMRIT KAAL’, we will ensure that all the facilities like service delivery
should reach the citizen up to the last mile; for the overall development of the country
unnecessary interference by the government and government processes in the lives of
the people must be ended.”

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 In the light of VISION @ 2047 of the Prime Minister of India, the Department of Legal
Affairs has laid down the following strategies: -
1. Strengthening of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to make India a hub
of institutional arbitration.
2. Establishment of “New Delhi International Arbitration Centre” vide notification dated
13 June, 2022 and notification of rules for its functioning, as well as appointment of its
Chairperson and Members. In order to lend global identity to the institution, the name
was changed to “India International Arbitration Centre”.
3. Creation and development of institutional mechanism to support ADR ecosystem in
all top 10 cities of India within 18 months and the expansion of the initiative to the
remaining Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities within 5 years.
4. Identification of relevant stakeholders like Arbitrators, Arbitration Counsels, service
providers, etc. to support the implementation plan and collaborate with the existing 35
Arbitration Institutions.
5. Development of infrastructure, trained workforce and resources through capacity
building/ training and formulation of communication strategy for effective Institutional
Arbitration Mechanism.
6. Creation of a “GIFT CITY” ecosystem for promoting globalisation of arbitration.
7. Introduction of high-end technology enabled processes in arbitration proceedings
through use of Metaverse to facilitate virtual hearing.
8. Simplification of laws governing taxation, bail matters, under trials, civil procedure, and
rules regulating the conduct of Government employees.
9. Use of digital and print media channels to generate awareness on mediation
and arbitration.
Figure IV 2:
Highlights of Vision @ 2047

Identify Stakeholders
like Arbitrators, Develop Transparent
Create Institutional and elaborate rules
Mechanism in Arbitration councils
for Arbitration
top 10 cities proceedings

Hi-end
Technology
ALTERNATE rules for
ARBITRATION DISPUTE Arbitration
proceedings
RESOLUTION
(ADR)
Develop trained MEDIATION
workforce

Sensitize and create

awareness amongst
Develop requisite people
Infrastructure Formulate
Communication
Strategies

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
V: TRANSPARENCY

RIGHT TO INFORMATION CELL

The RTI Cell coordinates all the work relating to the implementation of the Right to
Information Act, 2005. It receives applications and appeals physically as well as in online
mode. It forwards them to the CPIO’s/Appellate Authorities within the Department or to
the other concerned public authority. The RTI Cell serves as a nodal point for applications
received by the Office of the Minister of Law & Justice and the Office of the Attorney
General of India. The Department of Legal Affairs, including Branch Secretariats, has 18
CPIOs and 10 First Appellate Authorities.

Figure V 1:
Right to Information Cell

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 The Cell coordinates various matters relating to the Central Information Commission
(CIC) in terms of hearing/compliance of orders. The Cell submits quarterly returns to the
CIC under section 25(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. The RTI Cell works as a master division for
all other Sections/Divisions for clearing any doubts related to RTI and assists them. Other
functions of the RTI Cell of the Department include the following:

1. Issuing login-id/password details of the CPIOs/Appellate Authorities for online RTI

portal and assisting them.
2. Dealing with the suo-motu disclosures on the website.
3. Time to time updating of information on the RTI portal of the Department’s website.
4. Any other work relating to RTI Act, 2005.

Table V-1:
RTI applications and disposal
RTI Pending Disposed RTI First Pending Disposed RTI
Application Cases Cases Appeal Cases Cases Second
Appeal

3975 53 3922 429 1 428 41

PUBLIC GRIEVANCE (PG) CELL

PG Cell of the Department deals with public grievances received online as well as in
offline mode. Online grievances are handled through the Centralized Public Grievances
Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). CPGRAMS is an online platform available
24X7to the citizens to lodge their grievances to the public authorities on any subject
related to ‘service delivery’.

However, issues relating to sub-judice cases or any matter concerning judgments

given by any court, personal and family disputes, RTI matters, matters that impact upon
territorial integrity of the country or friendly relations with other countries, and suggestions
are excluded from the purview of CPGRAMS.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Figure V 2:
Public Grievance Cell

The Division is headed by Shri Rajveer Singh Verma, Additional Secretary, and assisted
by Shri Saji Gopinath, Under Secretary, Shri Upendra Nath Mishra, Section Officer and Ms
Shweta Negi, Court Clerk.

Table V 2:
Status of Public Grievances in CPGRAMS

TOTAL DISPOSED PENDING

CASES CASES CASES

5422 5417 5

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 VIGILANCE UNIT
The Vigilance Unit in the Ministry of Law and Justice caters to the Department of Legal
Affairs (including the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal) and the Legislative Department.
The Vigilance Unit is headed by a Chief Vigilance Officer of the rank of an Additional
Secretary who is appointed with the concurrence of the Central Vigilance Commission.
The Vigilance Unit is presently headed by Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary. The
overall responsibility of vigilance activities for both the Departments rests with the Chief
Vigilance Officer.

Preventive vigilance continues to receive priority attention with emphasis on the

identification of areas sensitive or prone to malpractices. The guidelines/instructions
issued from time to time by the Department of Personnel & Training and Central Vigilance
Commission in this regard are followed.

Figure V 3:
Vigilance Unit

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

The Chief Vigilance Officer is the nodal point in the Vigilance

Unit and is entrusted with the following responsibilities:

Identification of Scrutiny of complaints Taking appropriate Obtaining the advice

sensitive areas prone and initiation action in respect of the Union Public
to malpractices and of appropriate of departmental Service Commission
taking preventive investigation proceedings on regarding the nature
measures to measures. Inspection the advice of the and quantum of
ensure integrity and follow-up action Central Vigilance penalty to be imposed
in Government on the same Commission
functioning

ROLE OF
CHIEF 1 5
3 7
VIGILANCE 2 4 6
OFFICER

Taking suitable Furnishing Obtaining first

action to comments of the and second
achieve the Department to the stage advice
targets fixed by Central Vigilance of the Central
the Department Commission on Vigilance
of Personnel the investigation Commission
& Training on reports of the
anti-corruption Central Bureau of
measures Investigation

Vigilance Clearance certifies whether an employee is clear from vigilance angle or

not. Acts like demand/acceptance of illegal gratification, possession of disproportionate
assets, instances of misappropriation, forgery or cheating, abuse of official position, other
such acts are considered to be grounds for withholding Vigilance Clearance.
The Vigilance Unit issued 518 Vigilance Clearances.

Vigilance Awareness Week was observed in the week starting from 31.10.2022 to

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 06.11.2022. On 31 October 2022, the Law Secretary administered the Integrity Pledge to
the Officers and employees of the Department of Legal Affairs as part of the Vigilance
Awareness Week. Several activities were conducted to sensitise the employees of the
Department. Eminent academicians from the Indian Law Institute also gave a lecture on
the CVC's theme of ‘Corruption free India for a developed nation’ to the Department’s
Officials. Competitions on essay writing and poster making were also held on the aforesaid
theme. The Law Secretary presented certificates and cash awards to the competition’s
advice winners on 14 December, 2022.
ublic
ssion
nature
m of Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women
mposed at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
A Complaints Committee to investigate sexual harassment complaints made by
officials of the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department has been
established under section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. It examines the allegations of sexual harassment
made by women employees and, if required, launches an investigation. The Complaints
Committee is deemed to be the inquiring authority appointed by the disciplinary authority
for the purpose of CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. The report of the Complaints Committee is
treated as an enquiry report. On completion of the enquiry, the Committee submits its
findings to the Department of Legal Affairs for any necessary action. At present, Dr.
Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, is in-charge of the
Complaints Committee.

Currently, there are no pending cases of sexual harassment in the Department of

Legal Affairs.

On December 6, 2022, a workshop was held to create awareness of the Sexual

Harrassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 in
Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. Through the interactive workshop, Supreme Court Advocate,
Sh. Shashank Shekhar delivered a lecture on the topic.

In addition to the workshop, the students of the Culture Society, Campus Law Centre,
Delhi University performed a Nukkad Natak on Sexual Harassment of Women at
Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 on 7 December, 2022 at
Shastri Bhawan to create awareness and instill the values of respect and equality for all
women. Students presented the audience with vibrant messages in an innovative way,
showing how the problem of sexual harassment exists in workplaces, public transportation
hubs, educational institutions, and other social settings, and outlining various measures
that can be taken to prevent sexual harassment.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

VI: NOTARY

The Notary Cell of the Department of Legal Affairs makes appointments of the Notaries
and implements the Notaries Act, 1952 and the rules framed thereunder.

As part of the Digital India Campaign, the notary work was digitalised. This has eased the
appointment process of Notaries and the functioning of administration. 23,565 Notaries
have been appointed by the Central Government in different States and Union Territories.

FUNCTIONS OF THE NOTARY CELL

1. The Notary Cell deals with the scrutiny of the online applications received from different
States/Union Territories, processing of the applications and holding of interviews for
appointment as Notaries.

Figure VI 1:
Notary Cell

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 Table VI 1:
Notaries appointed by the Central Government since inception
S.No. State NOTARIES APPOINTED SINCE
INCEPTION
1. Andhra Pradesh 584
2. Arunachal Pradesh 24
3. Assam 28
4. Bihar 346
5. Chhattisgarh 194
6. Goa 32
7. Gujarat 4814
8. Haryana 1474
9. Himachal Pradesh 466
10. Jharkhand 123
11. Karnataka 1700
12. Kerala 1077
13. Madhya Pradesh 267
14. Maharashtra 4191
15. Manipur 04
16. Meghalaya 10
17. Mizoram 01
18. Nagaland 05
19. Odisha 146
20. Punjab 1341
21. Rajasthan 2039
22. Sikkim 00
23. Tamil Nadu 1631
24. Telangana 79
25. Tripura 34
26. Uttar Pradesh 2141
27. Uttarakhand 67
28. West Bengal 352
29. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 00
30. Chandigarh 71
31. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 00
32 Jammu and Kashmir 91
33 Ladakh 00
34 Lakshadweep 03
35 National Capital Territory of Delhi 872
36 Puducherry 250
Total 24457

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
2. This Cell conducts inquiry into the allegations of professional misconduct on the part
of the Notaries.
3. The Cell deals with RTI applications, first and second appeals.
4. The Cell handles court cases filed in various High Courts. It renews Certificates of
Practice of Notaries issued by the Central Government every five years. On sufficient
reasons, it also grants extension of tenure and allows change of the area of practice
to the notary.

AMENDMENTS IN THE NOTARIES RULES, 1956

ä The vacancies for Central Public Notaries for various States/Union Territories were
enhanced. (Vide GSR No 438(E) dated 9th June, 2022)
ä Rule 8B of the Notaries Rules, 1956 was amended for empowering the Central
Government to renew the Certificates of Practice which were received within one
year after the expiry of validity period. (Vide GSR No. 597(E) dated 22nd July, 2022)
ä Sub-rule 2 of Rule 7A of the Notaries Rules, 1956 was amended, i.e. the Chairperson
of every Interview Board shall be an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Legal
Advisor or Law Officer of that Government [Vide GSR No.176(E) dated 13 March 2023].

NOTARY ONLINE APPLICATION PORTAL (NOAP)

The Notary Cell of the Department conducted online interviews. An exclusive web portal
namely Notary Online Application Portal (NOAP) was launched on 27.05.2022. The key
features of NOAP are as follows:
1. The application form is user friendly and can be filled up with no technical assistance;
2. No physical copy of the documents is required to be forwarded to the Notary Cell,
resulting in a paperless mechanism;
3. All kinds of statutory fees relating to appointment of Notaries are to be paid online
(through Bharatkosh);
4. The applications are no more required to be forwarded through a District Judge;
5. Notaries can upload their annual returns through NOAP;
6. Notaries do not need to send specimen signature for renewing their license as these
can be uploaded on the portal;
7. Notary applications received all over India can be tracked by Notary Cell as well as by
applicants.

NOTARY APPOINTMENT INTERVIEWS HELD

THROUGH DIGITAL MODE
1. The Notary Cell of the Department conducted online interviews in the State of
Himachal Pradesh where 685 candidates were interviewed for appointment of
Central Government Notaries.
2. The Notary Cell of the Department conducted online interviews of 9198 candidates
for appointment of Notaries for the State of Gujarat, out of which 1236 candidates
have been recommended for the Central Government notaries.
3. The Notary Cell of the Department conducted online interviews of around 5,500
candidates for appointment as Central Government for the State of Karnataka.
4. The Notary Cell of the Department conducted offline interviews of 103 candidates for
appointment as Notaries for the North-Eastern States (Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura) out of whom 59 candidates were
recommended as Central Government Notary Public.

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 Figure VI 2:
Transformation from Physical to Paperless Governance

Table VI 2:
Transformation from Service Plus to NOAP

SERVICE PLUS NOAP

Offline Payment of Notaries Fees Online Payment through BharatKosh

Offline interview call Letter generation Online interview call letter generation

Physical interviews Concluded Online interviews using Bharat VC

User Friendly portal with advanced

Complicated GUL user Hostile
search

No report generation Report generation state/ District wise

Comprehensive Portal with other Exclusive portal for Notary Cell in the
services Department website
Dashboard view with all statistics of
No Dashboard view
Notaries

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

VII: DIGITALISATION AND CYBER SECURITY

I
ndia’s digital footprint witnessed accelerated growth rates with its outreach expanding
to more than 50% of its population in less than a decade. Empowering the common
citizenry. In keeping with this spirit, the Department of Legal Affairs, which was hitherto
considered a paper-heavy Department has made significant progress towards becoming
a paperless organization.

Figure VII 1:
Cyber Cell

One of the key initiatives is the Legal Information Management and Briefing System
(LIMBS), which is a web-based application to monitor all court cases where the Union of
India is one of the parties. This application allows for real time monitoring of all Union of
India related cases, while also managing the fees for all the Law Officers, Panel Counsels
and Advocates associated with those cases. Earlier, officials had to line up in Courts
simply to find the status of an order, now the same is available at the click of a button.

Equally significant is the initiative to digitalize the application process for Notaries. This
has directly benefitted the citizens by allowing them to apply for Notaries online. The
larger intent is to transform the entire end-to-end notarization process into a digitized
system that can be easily accessed and executed from the comfort of home. This initiative
is an important step towards the Government’s public-centric approach and is also in line
with Vision 2047, while at the same time, enhancing the Ease of Doing Business.

43

At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 43 6/14/2023 11:39:47 AM

 Department of Legal Affairs has also made its website more comprehensive and
user friendly, easier to navigate with more readable text. The website has also been
enriched with detailed information along with hyperlinks to other allied and subordinate
organizations and now provides seamless interoperability across different web browsers,
operating systems, connection speeds, mobile browsers, etc.

The Department of Legal Affairs is also moving towards a paperless office by digitizing
many documents and process flows, thereby, increasing transparency and the pace of
decision-making. Creation of files, noting in files, decisions at various levels and issuing
decisions as letters and notifications have all become online through e-Office 7.0.

With the ability to create files online, track files online, and speedy decision-making
due to constant monitoring online, e-Office is rapidly transforming the entire way of life
at Government Offices. E-Office comes equipped with high-tech features like e-File,
Knowledge Management System, CAMS, e-Leave, e-Tour, Sparrow, PIMS, etc.

GeM is a completely paperless, cashless system driven e-market place enabling

procurement of common-use goods and services with minimal human interface that has
been completely adopted by the Department of Legal Affairs.

Figure VII 2:
Features of the Cyber Security Crisis Management Plan (CCMP)

CCMP ACTION PLAN

Infrastructure
Facility End User
Framework
STRIVES
TO
PROVIDE
Network Organizational
Security Policy Framework

Information Cloud
Security Security

DEPARTMENT’S INITIATIVES ON CYBER SECURITY

In parallel to enhancing the digital footprint of Department of Legal Affairs, a high level
of attention has been focused towards enhancing cyber security in the Department, to
safeguard the critical digital infrastructure and the data and information therein.

44

At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 44 6/14/2023 11:39:47 AM

2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Given the widespread and pernicious nature of cyber based threats, all Ministries/
Departments/Organizations have been mandated to significantly improve their IT and
cyber security protocols. The intent is to safeguard their networks, data and organizations
against any possible IT and cyber based threats and attacks.

In this regard, action plans, in line with the directions from MeitY, have been undertaken
by the Department of Legal Affairs. The first step was the formulation of a Cyber
Security Crisis Management Plan (CCMP). This plan included the designation of a Chief
Information Security Officer (CISO), along with a Deputy CISO, to coordinate the creation
and implementation of the CCMP.

The CCMP has created the impetus for a structured policy formation process within the
Department of Legal Affairs to deal with such crisis. The plan involves the installation of
updated versions of the software used within the Department to ensure better network
and equipment security, as well as replacement of old IT equipment with modern, higher
capability, and more secure models. The Department included within the purview of this
plan, the external locations of the Department of Legal Affairs, to ensure uniformity in
network security protocols.
updated versions of the software used within the Department to ensure higher levels of network
Additionally, a dedicated team was identified for the constant monitoring of cyber
and equipment
security security, as well as
issues, especially, anyreplacement of oldorITlapses
possible breaches equipment withhappen
that might modern, higher
within
the Department. Budgetary estimates was drawn up, and funds were sanctioned for
capability, and more secure
implementing models.
the CCMP, The Department
to safeguard has alsofrom
the Department included, within the
cyberattacks. purview of
To illustrate
this plan,visually, the CCMP
the external action plan
locations strives
of the to provide holistic
Department of Legal coverage forto
Affairs, allensure
aspectsuniformity
pertaining in
to the IT infrastructure within the Department.
network security protocols.
JAGAROOKTA
Additionally, SESSION
a dedicated team has been identified for the
As part of the holistic plan to share information and
constantcreate
monitoring of cyber
awareness security
about issues, especially,
cybersecurity and cyber
based threats as it pertains to Department of Legal
any possible breaches
Affairs, or lapsesconducted
the Department that mighta comprehensive
happen within
awareness session in November 2022 comprising
the Department. Budgetary
presentations andestimates
lectureshave bybeen drawn up,
experienced
professionals. All senior Officers of the Department
and fundsweresanctioned
in attendancefor implementing the CCMP,
and actively participated, to
along
safeguardwith
theall staff members
Department from of the Department,
cyberattacks. in the
To illustrate
awareness session. The information presented
visually,included
the CCMP action
critical plansuch
aspects strives to provide
as Dos & Don’tsholistic
as well
as the intricacies of these attacks and examples of mitigation measures. The actual event
coveragewasforpreceded
all aspectsbypertaining
a week-longto the IT infrastructure
campaign comprising within
quizzesthe
andDepartment.
attendant publicity to
generate interest and enthusiasm for the Jagarookta session. The session ultimately
Jagarookta
turnedSession
out to be a major success which also saw participation by Senior Advocates and
MeitY Officers. The key success for Department was the all-round participation by all
members of the Department at all levels.
As part of the holistic plan to share information and create awareness about cybersecurity and
45
cyber based threats as it pertains to Department of Legal Affairs, the Department conducted a
comprehensive awareness session in November 2022 comprising presentations and lectures6/14/2023
At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 45 by 11:39:48 AM

experienced professionals. All senior officers of the Department were in attendance and
 Figure VII 3:
Do’s and Don’ts to be cyber-secure.

Look for the Lock icon &

visit only trusted sites Always backup data &
encrypt stored data
Beware of phishing! Verify links, Never share PIN, passwords &
attachments, sen der details OTPs. Pay through https sites only
Enable privacy settings &
mindful of other's Privacy Follow password policies &
two-factor authentication
Install only licensed versions Be careful of what you share
& apply latest updates online & Beware of Fake News

Change default router

password & apply
WPA2+AES security

Source: Data Protection Council of India

INSTITUTIONALISING CYBER POLICY

Overall, 2022 was a salient year for the Department in the domain of cybersecurity
with key action plans implemented, nodal Officers appointed, and specific budgetary
measures being executed to ensure cybersecurity. This is all with the broader intent
of ensuring that the Department’s public services such as notarization and mediation,
to name just a few, provide ease of access for the common citizen of India, in line
with the Central Government’s 2047 Vision. As India’s growth story continues, the
Department will continue to play a leading role in providing a safe, secure, trusted legal
framework for cyberlaws in the sphere of online gaming and sports, data protection,
online lotteries, etc.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
VIII: BUDGET AND AUDIT

INTEGRATED FINANCE DIVISION

Integrated Finance Division (IFD) assists the Department of Legal Affairs in budget
management and control. It is headed by Smt. Ranjana Chopra, Additional Secretary &
Financial Advisor. Shri Hansraj Meena, Deputy Secretary, helps in monitoring the budget
and finance of the Ministry of Law & Justice including the Department of Legal Affairs. The
Integrated Finance Unit tenders financial advice to the Department. The broad functions of
the division include financial advice, budgeting, accounts, and internal audit in the Ministry.

HEAD WISE EXPENDITURE STATEMENT FOR THE YEARS 2021-2022

AND 2022-2023
The statement of expenditure for the years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 may be seen in
the table given below. The major heads include the Administration of Justice, Collection
of Taxes on Income and Expenditure, Secretariat General Service, other Administrative
Services and Capital Outlay on Other Administrative Services along with their respective
Budget Provision, Revised Estimate, Expenditure, Excess and Saving and Balance Available.

HEAD WISE EXPENDITURE STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR 2021-2022

The highest and lowest Revised Estimate for the year 2021-2022 amounted to ₹122 crores
(Capital Outlay on Other Administrative Services) and ₹7.3 crores (Other Administrative
Services) respectively. The highest and lowest expenditure amounted to ₹120.78 crores
(Capital Outlay on Other Administrative Services) and ₹4.27 crores (Other Administrative
Services) respectively.

HEAD WISE EXPENDITURE STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR 2022-2023

The highest and lowest Expenditure for the year 2022-2023 amounted to ₹113.90 crores
(Collection of Taxes on Income and Expenditure) and ₹5.23 crores (Other Administrative
Services) respectively. The highest and lowest Balance Available amounted to ₹3.82
crores (Collection of Taxes on Income and Expenditure) and ₹-12.89 crores (Administration
of Justice) respectively.

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 Table VIII 1:
Head-wise expenditure statement for the years 2021-2022 & 2022-2023

HEAD WISE EXPENDITURE STATEMENT FOR THE YEARS 2021-2022 & 2022-2023 {In Crores(`)}
MAJOR BUDGET REVISED EXCESS(+) BALANCE
S.No. CODE EXPENDITURE
HEADS PROVISION ESTIMATE SAVING(-) AVAILABLE
2021-22 2022-23 2021-22 2022-23 2021-22 2022-23 2021-22 2022-23

1 2014 Administration of Justice 60 64.6 69 52.70 63.81 65.59 5.19 -12.89

Collection of Taxes on
2 2020 119.30 122 118.35 117.72 102.07 113.90 16.28 3.82
Income and Expenditure

Secretariat General
3 2052 72.9 88.18 78.78 93.53 65.25 91.21 13.53 2.32
Service

Other Administrative
4 2070 7.3 7.7 7.3 8.00 4.27 5.23 3.03 2.77
Services

Capital Outlay on Other

5 4070 100 115 122 21.00 120.78 23.23 1.22 -2.23
Administrative Services
TOTAL(`) 359.50 397.48 395.43 292.95 356.18 299.17 39.25 -6.21

STATUS OF AUDIT OBSERVATIONS

Table VIII 2:
Audit Para No.12.1 of Report No.6 of 2020 reg. Grant for construction of Auditorium not used since January 2000
No. of Paras/ PA reports
on which ATNs have
been submitted to PAC Details of the Paras/PA reports on which ATNs are
after vetting by audit pending
No. of ATNs No. of ATNs sent No. of ATNs
Sl.No. Year not sent by the but returned with which have been
Ministry even for observations finally vetted
the first time and Audit is by audit but
awaiting their have not been
resubmission by submitted by the
the Ministry Ministry to PAC
12.1 Report No.6 of 2020 reg. 1 0 0 0
Grant for construction of
Auditorium not used since
January, 2000.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

IX: ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

T
he traditional mode of dispute resolution, i.e. litigation, is a lengthy process leading
to unnecessary delays in dispensation of justice as well as overburdening of
Judiciary. In such a scenario, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms like
arbitration, conciliation and mediation assume significance. These ADR mechanisms are
less adversarial and are capable of providing a better substitute to the conventional
methods of resolving disputes.
ADR mechanisms have the advantage of resolving disputes namely civil, commercial
and family etc., where people are not able to start any type of negotiation and reach
settlement, and also in many cases where privacy is important.
In modern times, to keep pace with the globalization of trade and commerce, several
legislative measures to promote ADR mechanisms have been taken. The Department
of Legal Affairs is concerned with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, India
International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019 and the Mediation Bill, 2021.

Figure IX 1:
Alternate Dispute Resolution

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 INDIA INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION CENTRE
The India International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019 provides for the establishment of
an institution of national importance, namely the India International Arbitration Centre
as an autonomous body for facilitating institutional arbitration. It is proposed to develop
the Centre as a preferred seat for domestic and international commercial arbitration.

The Centre envisages providing world class facilities and administrative assistance for
conciliation, mediation and arbitral proceedings, maintaining panel of reputed arbitrators,
both at national and international level, promoting research and study, providing teaching
and training and organising conferences and seminars in arbitration, conciliation,
mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

The Centre, being an institution of national importance, owes its origin to a statute
passed by the Parliament. Globally, Indian parties account for a large number of arbitration
cases. The Centre will provide fair and speedy resolution of arbitration cases at affordable
cost and thus promotes institutional arbitration, without entangling the parties in the
uncertainties associated with ad-hoc arbitrations. The Centre is strategically located at
Vasant Kunj in Delhi. The website of IIAC is operational since February 2023 and provides
an overview of the Centre and its functioning.

The Centre was established vide Notification dated 13th June, 2022. Further, the
following Rules as required under the India International Arbitration Centre Act, 2019,
were notified: -

i. India International Arbitration Centre (Number of Posts and Recruitment of Registrar,

Counsel and other Officers and employees) Rules, 2022.

ii. India International Arbitration Centre (Terms and Conditions and the Salary and
allowances payable to Chairperson and Full-time Members) Rules, 2022.

iii. India International Arbitration Centre (Form of Annual Statement of Accounts) Rules,
2022.

iv. India International Arbitration Centre (Travelling and other Allowances Payable to
Part-time Members) Rules, 2022.

The following Regulations of India International Arbitration Centre have also been notified
on 31.03.2023:
(i) India International Arbitration Centre (Criteria for Admission to the Panel of Arbitrator)
Regulations, 2023.
(ii) India International Arbitration Centre (Transaction of Business) Regulations, 2023.

The Chamber of Arbitration under the Centre has been established to empanel
experienced arbitrators of repute, at national and international level.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
The Centre has appointed 10 members in the Chamber of Arbitration to carry out
the empanelment process in terms of the IIAC (Criteria for Admission to the Panel of
Arbitrator) Regulations, 2023.

Justice Hemant Gupta, former Judge, Supreme Court of India was appointed as the
Chairperson of the Centre. Mr. Ganesh Chandru and Mr. Anant Vijay Palli were appointed
as part-time Members of the Centre.

The Centre will have association with other contemporary international arbitral
institutions for mutual collaboration and cooperation for promoting institutional arbitration
and enhancing the credibility of the Centre as a specialised arbitral institution.

The Centre has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with IIM Rohtak to
enable mutual collaboration and co-operation for promoting arbitration as an efficacious
mode of alternate dispute resolution.

The Centre's operation in the conduct of arbitration in a timely and credible manner
may prove to be a game changer in investor's perception of doing business in India,
thereby also establishing itself as a professionally managed arbitration centre.

ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION ACT, 1996 AND

ARBITRATION COUNCIL OF INDIA
To keep pace with current developments in the arbitration landscape and to enable
arbitration as a viable dispute resolution mechanism, the Indian arbitration law has
undergone significant changes in the years 2015, 2019 and 2021. The changes are enabled
to signal a paradigm shift for ensuring timely conclusion of arbitration proceedings,
minimizing judicial intervention in the arbitral process and enforcement of arbitral awards.
The amendments are further aimed at promoting institutional arbitration, updating the
law to reflect best global practices and resolve ambiguities thereby establishing an
arbitration ecosystem where arbitral institutions can flourish.

The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2019 provides for establishment of
the Arbitration Council of India (Council) which will frame, review and update norms to
ensure satisfactory levels of arbitration and will also frame policies governing the grading
of arbitral institutions. The Council will lay down norms to bring uniformity of standards
among the arbitral institutions in the country.

The establishment of the Council further minimizes court intervention in arbitration matters
by providing that parties may approach the Supreme Court and High Courts designated
and Council graded arbitral institutions for the purpose of appointment of arbitrators
under section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, thereby reducing the time
and expenses of the concerned parties. With a view to expedite the establishment of
the Council, the following Rules have been notified according to the provisions of the
Amendment Act: -

i. The Arbitration Council of India (Terms and Conditions and the salary and allowances

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At A Glance-ENG_NEW.indd 51 6/14/2023 11:39:51 AM

 payable to Chairperson and Members) Rules, 2022.
ii. The Arbitration Council of India (Qualifications, Appointment and other Terms and
Conditions of the Service of Chief Executive Officer) Rules, 2022.
iii. The Arbitration Council of India (Travelling and other Allowances Payable to Part-time
Members) Rules, 2022.
iv. The Arbitration Council of India (Number of Officers and other Employees, their
qualifications, appointment and other Terms and Conditions) Rules, 2022.

MEDIATION BILL, 2021

Mediation, as is known, is more informal and facilitates negotiations between the disputant
parties which may culminate in a settlement. Thus, mediation, in contrast to arbitration,
helps people and businesses in conflict to preserve their relationships, as the settlement
arrived at in the process is on a voluntary and consensual basis.

With the objective of promoting, encouraging and facilitating mediation, especially

institutional mediation for resolution of civil and commercial disputes, enforcing mediation
settlement agreements, providing for a body for registration of mediators, encouraging
community mediation and making online mediation as an acceptable and cost effective
process and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, a comprehensive
standalone law on Mediation has been introduced during the winter session of the
Parliament on 20.12.2021.

The Bill was referred for examination and report to the Department related Parliamentary
Standing Committee on 20.12.2021. The Committee has submitted its 117th report on
Mediation Bill, 2021 on 13.07.2022 which is under consideration of Government, for
moving of official amendments to the Bill.

AMRCD/ AMRD
Administrative Mechanism for Resolution of Central Public Sector
Enterprises (CPSEs) Commercial Disputes (AMRCD)
A two-level mechanism called the Administrative Mechanism for Resolution of Central
Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) Commercial Disputes (AMRCD) was established on
22 May 2018 to settle commercial disputes between CPSEs and other government
departments and organizations, with the exception of those involving the railways,
income tax, customs, and exercise departments.

This mechanism was developed in cooperation with various stakeholders to replace

the then PMA (Permanent Machinery of Arbitration) Mechanism, and to make it more
effective and binding on the disputing parties.

1. APPLICABILITY
Any disagreements or disputes regarding the interpretation and application of the
terms of a commercial contract between Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)/

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Port Trusts and other CPSEs, as well as between CPSEs and governmental agencies
or organizations (with the exception of disagreements involving the railways, income
tax, customs, or exercise departments) may be brought up by either party for resolution
through the AMRCD.

2. STRUCTURE AND PROCEDURE

According to the approved new mechanism to resolve commercial disputes, the following
structure and procedure shall be followed by the concerned disputing parties:
ã At the First level, such commercial disputes shall be referred to a Committee
comprising the Secretaries of the Administrative Ministries/Departments to which the
disputing CPSEs/Parties belong, and Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, who shall be
represented by their respective Financial Advisors (FAs).

ã In case the two disputing parties belong to the same Ministry/Department, the above
said Committee will comprise the Secretary of the administrative Ministry/Department
concerned, the Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, and the Secretary, Department of
Public Enterprises. In such a case, the matter may be represented before the Committee
by the FA and one Joint Secretary of that Ministry/Department.

Figure IX-2:
Structure of AMRCD
ADMINISTRATIVE MECHANISM FOR RESOLUTION
OF CPSES COMMERCIAL DISPUTE

AMRCD

FIRST LEVEL SECOND LEVEL

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 ã In case the dispute remains unresolved even after consideration by the above
Committee, the same will be referred at the Second level to the Cabinet Secretary, whose
decision would be final and binding on all concerned.
Figure IX 3:
Procedure of AMRCD

PROCEDURE
CLAIMS ARGUMENTS IMPLEMENTATION
The claiming party The FAs of the concerned A copy of the decision
(Claimant) will approach administrative Ministries/ will be communicated
the FA of its administrative Departments will by the Secretary of the
Ministry/Department for represent the issues administrative Ministry/
representing the dispute related to the dispute Department of the
before the Secretary of its in question before the claiming party to each
administrative Ministry/ concerned Committee. party to the dispute for
Department. implementation.

2 4

1 3 5

NOTICE DECISION
The Secretary of the Administrative Ministry/ After arriving at a decision by
Department of claiming party will intimate the the Committee, the Secretary
same to the Secretary of the administrative of the administrative Ministry/
Ministry/Department of the responding party Department of the claiming party
(Respondent) and Secretary-D/o Legal Affairs will write down the decision
and thereafter meetings will take place in the and it will be signed jointly by
administrative Ministry/Department of the both the Secretaries and the
claiming party to examine the facts and resolve Secretary of D/o Legal Affairs.
the dispute on merit.

ã When one of the parties is a Department or Organization of a State government: In

cases where one party to the dispute is a Department/Organisation of a State Government
(1st party), the procedure for admitting the dispute will be the same as described above.
However, all meetings in connection with the resolution of the dispute will be held in
the administrative Ministry/Department (Union) of other party (2nd party) irrespective of
the position of the 1st party as a Claimant or Respondent. The presentation of the issues
before the above Committee in this case will be done by the Financial Advisers of the
concerned Administrative Ministry/Department and concerned Principal Secretary of the
State Government Department/Organization.

3. APPEAL
Any party aggrieved with the decision of the Committee at the First Level may prefer an
appeal before the Cabinet Secretary at the Second level within 15 days from the date of
receipt of decision of the Committee at the First level, through its administrative Ministry/
Department, whose decision will be final and binding on all concerned.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
4. ARBITRATION CLAUSE
The CPSEs will ensure the inclusion of an arbitration clause in all the existing and
future commercial contracts between CPSEs inter-se, and CPSEs, and Government
Departments/Organizations.

5. DISPOSAL OF PENDING CASES IN PMA

All pending cases with Sole Arbitrator- PMA (Permanent Machinery of Arbitration)
and Appellate Authority shall stand transferred with immediate effect to concerned
administrative Ministries/Departments to be dealt in according with the AMRCD
mechanism of dispute resolution. All cases in which the hearing has been completed by
a Sole Arbitrator, the award will be made by that Sole Arbitrator. Appeal, if any, made
against such cases will lie with the Cabinet Secretary at the Second level.

ADMINISTRATIVE MECHANISM FOR RESOLUTION

OF DISPUTES (AMRD)
In order to provide an institutionalized mechanism for the resolution of such disputes, the
Administrative Mechanism for Resolution of Disputes (AMRD) was set up on 31 March 2020.

1. APPLICABILITY
AMRD shall apply to any/all dispute(s), other than those related to taxation, between
Central Government Ministries / Departments inter se and between Central Government
Ministries / Departments and other Ministries/ Organisation(s)/ Subordinate/ Attached
Offices/ Autonomous Institutions, under their administrative supervision/control.

2. STRUCTURE
Administrative Mechanism for Resolution of Disputes (AMRD) follows the
following structure:-

a. Disputes, other than taxation, shall be referred at the First level, to a Committee
comprising the Secretaries of the Administrative Ministries/Departments to which the
disputing Parties belong, and Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs.

b. The Joint Secretaries (JSs)/Financial Advisers (FAs) (for commercial disputes) of the
two concerned Administrative Ministries/ Departments may represent the issues
related to the dispute in question, before the Committee.

c. In case the two disputing parties belong to the same Ministry / Department, the above
Committee may comprise of the Secretary of the Administrative Ministries/Department
concerned and Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs. Secretary, Department of
Public Enterprises may be invited in case the dispute pertains to a CPSE.

d. The resolution of such disputes shall be by unanimous decision of the Committee.

e. In case the dispute remains unresolved after consideration by the Committee, it will
be referred at the Second level, to the Cabinet Secretary, whose decision will be final
and binding on all concerned.

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 3. PROCEDURE
Figure IX 4:
Procedure of AMRD

PROCEDURE 3
Thereafter meetings may be held to PROCEDURE 4
examine the facts and resolve the dispute After the Committee
on merit. The JSs / FAs of the concerned arrives at a decision,
administrative Ministries/Departments it shall be signed by
will represent the issues, related to the members of the
the dispute in question, before the Committee.
above Committee.

PROCEDURE 2
The Secretary of the PROCEDURE 5
administrative Ministry/ A copy of the decision
Department of the claiming will be communicated
party will inform in writing the by the Secretary of the
details of the dispute, to the administrative Ministry/
Secretary of the administrative Department of the claiming
Ministry/Department of the party to the members of
responding party (Respondent) the Committee and to each
and Secretary, D/o Legal Affairs, and
request for convening a meeting.
party to the dispute for
implementation.

PROCEDURE 6
PROCEDURE 1 The Committee of
At the First level (tier), the Secretaries at the First
claiming party (Claimant) level (tier) shall finalise its
may be represented, before decision within 3 months after
the Committee, by the JS/FA having received the reference/
of the administrative Ministry/
Department.
notice in writing regarding
the dispute from the
concerned aggrieved party.

4. APPEAL
Any party aggrieved with the decision of the Committee at the First level may prefer an
appeal before the Cabinet Secretary at the Second level within 15 days from the date of
receipt of decision of the Committee at the First level, whose decision will be final and
binding on all concerned.

AMRCD/AMRD (LIST OF SETTLED MATTERS)

63 matters were referred to the AMRCD/AMRD mechanism, out of which 16
matters were resolved by the First level Committee of Secretaries (CoS). The others
are under process.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

X: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

CAPACITY BUILDING
In order to keep the Officers abreast with the latest judicial and legal trends and to acquaint
them with latest developments in the fields of law, legal databases, cyber security, and
information technology, the Department of Legal Affairs undertakes capacity building
and training programmes for its employees.

The Capacity Building Commission (CBC) facilitates the preparation of Annual Capacity
Building Plans for Departments, Ministries, and Agencies. Along with Karmayogi, its digital
wing, the National Program for Civil Services Capacity Building bases itself on the goals
of good governance, citizen centric performance, and public accountability and provides
training of the highest quality and resources to individuals, organisations and institutions
.
Training and Capacity Building Activities:-
A one-day workshop was organized by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)
and Capacity Building Commission on 02.12.2022 for the preparation of an Annual
Capacity Building Plan. The plan of a Ministry/Department/Agency will identify their
capacity needs through the three lenses of National Priorities, Emerging Technologies,
and Citizen Centricity.

Kick-off Meeting
The workshop was followed by a kick-off meeting held on 19 December 2022 between
the Capacity Building Commission and the Department of Legal Affairs. The vision and a
15-week plan was shared to achieve the aim of creating an Annual Capacity Building Plan.
The vision of the Department of Legal Affairs is to achieve excellence in legal affairs for
accomplishing the goals set out in the Constitution of India. Focus areas were identified
such as legal reforms, advice to Ministries, e-Governance solutions, ADR methods,
international cooperation and conduct of litigation. A training strategy will be designed
and developed for all employees basing on the roles and activities of the employees and
challenges faced by them.

Preparation and Planning:

While preparing the Annual Capacity Building Plan, four critical areas of training (Domain,
Technology, Behavioural and Functional) are identified. The training areas include
litigation, LIMBS, tendering legal advice, judgment analysis, drafting of speeches, and
RTI, among other things.

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 Figure X 1:
Training Division and Administration I

TRAINING DIVISION
The Union Public Service Commission hires Officers for the Indian Legal Service (ILS)
primarily on the basis of their legal competence and prior work experience. Upon
appointment, the new recruits to the Service are placed under the supervision of the
senior Officers of the Department based on an internal work allocation system devised
by the Department. The necessity for training is to improve professional abilities in
accordance with the Department’s work requirements.

A separate Training Division has been created to coordinate the creation of the training
academy. Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary, oversees the Training Division.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE TRAINING DIVISION:

1. Training of SCC Online Portal for Assistant Legal Advisers on 18.05.2022
2. Training of SCC Online Portal for Deputy Legal Advisers and above level Officers on
08.06.2022.
3. Training of SCC Online Portal for Indian Legal Service Officers of Legislative
Department, Superintendent (Legal) and Assistant (Legal) on 07.07.2022.
4. Training on Handling Parliament related matters and Questions
5. Organized Workshop on PM Gati-Shakti NMP for Training and Capacity Building of
Government Officers in association with DPIIT for all the three Departments of Ministry
of Law & Justice.
6. Organized Hindi Pakhwada Celebrations on 29.09.2022 at Dr. Ambedkar International
Centre, New Delhi.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
7. Organised All India Conference of Law Ministers and Law Secretaries at Ekta Nagar,
Kewadia, Gujarat.
8. Celebrated Constitution Day on 26th November, 2022.
9. Created awareness for wider dissemination and adoption of millet based products
and food through organising a special lunch programme for all the three Departments
of Ministry of Law & Justice viz. Department of Legal Affairs, Department of Justice
and Legislative Department on 28th December, 2022.

ADMINISTRATION OF INDIAN LEGAL SERVICES

Brief History
Ministry of Law and Justice is the oldest limb of the Government of India dating back to
1833 when the Charter Act, 1833 was enacted by the British Parliament.
After independence, Government created a cadre of specialized legal service
within the Ministry of Law and Justice to serve the Government of India to cater to its
need for assistance in all legal matters viz. legal advisory, legal drafting, litigation and
judicial reforms.
The Union Government in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to Article 309
of the Constitution of India made the Rules namely “The Indian Legal Service Rules,
1957” which came into force on 1st October 1957. The said Rules constituted a service
to be known as the “Indian Legal Service” which is an All India Central Group-A Service.
Indian Legal Service render dedicated service to the nation by giving legal advice in
matters to various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India and drafting bills and
ordinances which are introduced in Parliament. They, being the Principal Legal Advisers to
the Government, respond to the demands made upon them by the various organs of the
Government and play a pivotal role in both advisory as well as in drafting work.
Apart from posting in the Main Secretariat i.e., New Delhi, the Officers of the ILS
Service are posted in its Branch Secretariats at Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai,
and some other important Ministries/Departments like Department of Personnel and
Training, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Financial Services, Railways, Ministry of
Labour and Employment, Ministry of Defense, NTRO, Central Public Works Department,
Directorate of Estates and Central Bureau of Investigation.

Structure of the Indian Legal Service:

There are four cadres within the Indian Legal Service:
A) Legal Adviser Cadre: Officers of this Cadre are posted in the Department of Legal
Affairs and render advice in the litigation matters and policy of the Government of
India.
B) Law Officer Cadre: Officers of this Cadre are being posted in the Law Commission of
India and their main work is related to legal research and study on specific subjects
in the field of law and justice delivery system.
C) Government Advocate Cadre: Officers of this cadre are posted in the Central
Agency Section of the Department of Legal Affairs situated within the premises
of Supreme Court and four Branch Secretariats situated at Bengaluru, Chennai,
Kolkata and Mumbai. Officers posted in this cadre look after the litigation work of
the Central Government.

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 D) Legislative Counsel Cadre: Officers of this Cadre are posted in the Legislative
Department and they look after the drafting of legislations, notifications and
government orders.

CENTRAL SECRETARIAT SERVICE

The Central Secretariat Service (CSS) is one of the earliest organized Services in the
country. It facilitates maintaining the vital link between Parliament and the Central
Secretariat, especially when it comes to handling of Parliament Questions, Assurances,
Government Bills, etc.
Figure X 2:
Administration IV

There is also substantial contribution by CSS Officers in financial management and

preparation of the budget of various Departments of the Central Government and
also in monitoring the schemes funded and contributed by Government of India but
executed by States and other Implementing Agencies. The CSS Officers have been
handling various litigation works quite effectively and protect the interests of the
Central Government.
The Service provides a set of trained personnel, who serve as carrier of the Secretariat
tradition of institutional memory and bridge between the past and the present and
between lower and top management of the Government. The Service provides a strong
permanent bureaucratic set up at lower and middle levels of the Central Government.

CENTRAL SECRETARIAT STENOGRAPHERS’ SERVICE

The Central Secretariat Stenographers’ Service (CSSS) is one of the three Services in the
Central Secretariat, the other two being Central Secretariat Service (CSS) and Central
Secretariat Clerical Service (CSCS). The CSSS was constituted to provide secretarial and

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
office support to Officers in the Secretariat and its attached offices. It is a specialized
service whose personnel have the technical core competency of stenographic skills.
The service conditions of the members of the Service are regulated through CSSS Rules,
2010 and Regulations made thereunder. The CSSS personnel manage and supervise
personal section of Secretary/ Special Secretary/ Additional Secretary. Their duties
also include facilitating meetings, e-tracking of files and important papers, coordinating
parliamentary work and management system of important references.

CENTRAL SECRETARIAT CLERICAL SERVICES

The Central Secretariat Clerical Service is one of the three Services included in the CSS.
This was constituted along with CSS in 1951, but its Rules were framed later and came
into force on 1 November 1962.
The CSCS Cadre comprises the following two posts:-
i. Senior Secretariat Assistants (SSA) (formerly known as Upper Division Clerk);
ii. Junior Secretariat Assistants (JSA) (formerly known as Lower Division Clerk)

According to the latest Manual of Office Procedure, the duties of SSA and
JSA are as under:-
i. Senior Secretariat Assistants(SSA):- Deal with the subject areas allocated to the
Section and also expected to deal with all matters allocated or any other work
assigned to him/her from time to time.
ii. Junior Secretariat Assistants (JSA):-Provide miscellaneous support to the Section/
Unit/Desk in carrying out day to day work like photocopying/record handling and
maintenance, registration of Dak, marking/sending Receipts/files and other associated
tasks or any other work assigned from time to time.

CENTRAL SECRETARIAT OFFICIAL LANGUAGE SERVICES

Central Secretariat Official Language Services was constituted by the Department of
Official Language, in accordance with the Government of India (Allocation of Business)
Rules, 1961, to ensure compliance of the Constitutional and legal provisions regarding
official language.
Figure X 3:
Administration II

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 GENERAL CENTRAL SERVICE
1. There are fourteen (14) Group B and Group C postings in the General Central
Service cadre. It has 174 Officials/Officers in total, distributed among the various
positions listed below:-

Table X-1:
Name of the posts and their Group
Sl.
No.
Name of the Posts Group of Post
1. Superintendant (Legal) Group-B
2. Assistant (Legal) Group-B
3. Junior Central Government Advocate (Jr.CGA) Group-B
4. Librarian Grade- I Group-B
5. Library information Assistant/Sr.Library Information Assistant Group-B
6. Senior Library Attendant Group-C
7. Library Clerk Group-C
8. Sr. Court Clerk Grade – I Group-B
9. Sr.Court Clerk Grade – II Group-C
10. Court Clerk Group-C
11. Record Clerk Group-C
12. Staff Car Driver Group-C
13. Dispatch Rider Group-C
14. Senior Gestetnor Operator Group-C

2. Superintendent (Legal), Assistant (Legal) and Jr.CGA in the GCS cadre perform the
following duties:-
a. Putting up precedents on matters referred to the Department for legal advice.
b. Rendering of general and secretarial assistance to the Officers of the Department
of Legal Affairs in disposing of matters referred for legal advice/conduct of litigation,
including submission of notes and drafts in such cases.
c. Providing general and secretarial support to the Legal Advisers of the Department
in handling matters referred for legal advice, including the preparation of notes
and drafts.
d. Undertake research and reference work, whenever necessary.

3. Librarian (Grade-I), Library Information Assistant, Sr.Library Attendant and Library

Clerk perform the following duties:-
a. Provide research materials/books as required by the Officers of the Legislative
Department and Legal Affairs, as well as the chamber libraries of the Minister of Law
and Justice and Minister of State, Law and Justice.
b. Facilitate research and reference work, wherever necessary.
4. Court Clerk, Sr.Court Clerk Grade-I and Sr.Court Clerk Grade-II perform the
following duties:-

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
a. Typing of documents on computer.
b. Diarizing, indexing and maintaining records.
c. Managing regular court related works such as marking cause lists, filing papers in the
registry, procuring court fee stamps and maintaing the records thereof.
d. To attend the court proceedings.
e. To assist the Law Officers and Counsels in locating references in the law books/journals.
5. Further; Record Clerk, Despatch Rider and Staff Car Driver perform the miscellaneous
work of the Ministry.

CONSULTANTS
Twenty three consultants were hired by the Department of Legal Affairs for fulfilling
specialized tasks.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Department of Legal Affairs hired 29 Young Professionals from the legal field to provide
professional expertise on specific spheres of law. Young Professionals work as an in-
house talent pool and undertake research and analysis work on special projects of the
Department.

INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
The Department organizes Internship Programme for young law students. The purpose of
this Programme is to acquaint young law students with the functions of the Department.
During the internship, the students are trained in research and referencing work,
rendering advice on various legal issues and litigation matters pertaining to various fields
of law. Indian law students who have completed their LL.B. programme at any accredited
law college or University as well as those who are pursuing their second and third year
of a three-year degree programme or their third, fourth or fifth year of a five-year degree
programme are eligible for applying for the internship programme. The duration of the
internship is generally for a month, beginning on the first of each month.
Gr
APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTIONS
HAG Level - Two Joint Secretaries were promoted to the rank of Additional Secretaries.
SAG Level – 2 (Two) Joint Secretaries & Legal Advisers were appointed at the SAG
level through direct recruitment; 1 (One) Additional Law Officer was promoted as Joint
Secretary and Law Officer (JS & LO); 1 (One) Additional Legal Adviser was promoted Gro
as Joint Secretary and Legal Adviser (JS & LA); and 2 (Two) Additional Government
Gro
Advocates were promoted as Senior Government Advocates.
NFSG Level – 1 (One) Additional Government Advocate was appointed through direct Gro
recruitment and 10 (Ten) Deputy Legal Advisers were promoted as Additional Legal Adviser. TO
JAG Level – 7 (Seven) Assistant Legal Advisers were promoted as Deputy Legal Advisers.

GENDER PARITY
The Government has introduced programmes/schemes aimed at reducing gender gap
and has allocated funds dedicated to this goal. Through this effort the Government is
continuously promoting gender parity/equality with a focus on alleviating gender gap in
all sectors and at all levels of governance.

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 Representation of Women employees:
The representation of women employees in the Department of Legal Affairs (including
Legislative Department) is given below.

Table X-2:
Number of Women Employees

GROUPS TOTAL WOMEN

EMPLOYEES EMPLOYEES
GROUP A 133 37
GROUP B 163 41
GROUP C 235 18
TOTAL 531 96

REPRESENTATION OF SC, ST, OBC, AND DIVYANGJANS IN

DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS
The following table depicts the total number of Government servants and the number
of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Ex-service-men and
Persons with Disabilities amongst them.

Table X-3:
Number of Employees and Percentage under different categories

Group Total No. Sched- % of total Sched- % of Other % of total Ex-ser- % of Per- % of total
of uled employ- uled total Back- employ- vice- total sons employ-
Employ- Castes ees Tribes employ- ward ees men employ- with ees
ees ees Classes ees Disabil-
ities
Group ‘A’ 133 31 23.30% 5 3.75% 14 10.52% 0 0% 2 1.50%
Group ‘B’ 163 20 12.26% 8 4.90% 38 23.31% 3 1.84% 7 4.29%
Group ‘C’ 235 66 28.08% 12 5.10% 38 16.17% 0 0% 4 1.7%
TOTAL 531 117 22.03 25 4.70% 90 16.94% 3 0.56% 13 * 2.44%
*[OH-10 (SC-01, ST-01, OBC-01), HH-01, VH-02 (OBC-01)]

The above table includes information with respect to the posts existing in Legislative
Department, Law Commission and Central Agency Section.
The above statement does not include information about posts in Income Tax Appellate
Tribunal (ITAT).

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
XI. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE UNIT

ABOUT
The Official Language Unit aims to promote the usage of Hindi language in the Department
of Legal Affairs. The Unit undertakes translation of official documents, preparation and
research for publication on different media in Hindi.

Figure XI 1:
Official Language Unit

WHO’S WHO
The Official Language Unit is headed by Shri Rajveer Singh Verma, Additional Secretary
& Rajbhasha Adhikari. It is managed by Mrs. Savita Singh, Deputy Director, Shri Shamsher
Singh, Assistant Director and Shri Sanjay Kumar, Assistant Director, Assistant Director
along with Senior Translation Officers and Junior Translation Officers namely Shri Jetharam
Godara, Ms. Madhuleena Ghosh and Ms. Indu, Shri Surya Pal Yadav respectively.

PROGRESSIVE USE OF HINDI IN OFFICIAL WORK IN THE

DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS
The Department of Legal Affairs has taken the following steps to implement various
instructions issued by the Department of Official Language on the progressive use of
Hindi for official purposes of the Union as contained in the Official Languages Act, 1963

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 and the Official Languages (Use for Official Purposes of the Union) Rules, 1976.

1. Orders for individuals under Rule 8(4): Under Rule 8(4) of the Official Languages (Use
for Official Purpose of the Union) Rules, 1976 (as amended, 1987), latest orders in the
name of 39 personnel who are proficient in Hindi were issued on 02.12.2022 to do
their complete official work in Hindi.

2. Check Points: A review of the check points for implementation of orders relating to
the Official Language was made and orders for creation of adequate number of check
points in accordance with Rule 12 of the Official Languages Rules, 1976 were issued on
18.11.2022. The effectiveness of check points is regularly monitored through quarterly
progress reports received from sections/offices.

3. Steps to promote usage of Hindi: In Sections / Units where the staff are proficient in
Hindi, the use of Hindi in their day-to-day work is encouraged. Work relating to grant
of various types of leave is being done in Hindi. Most cases relating to House Building
Advances, GPF Advances and Withdrawals etc. are also being processed in Hindi and
orders are also being issued in Hindi.

4. Promotion of Bilingual form: All general orders, notifications, resolutions and

administrative reports etc. are invariably issued in bilingual form. All letters received
in Hindi are invariably replied to in Hindi only. It is strictly ensured that there is no
violation of the relevant Rules in this regard. English to Hindi dictionaries have been
provided to all sections of the Department for encouraging the use of Hindi in day-to-
day official work.

5. Standard draft of Hindi Specimen: Hindi specimen of standard drafts of all letters
used frequently by various sections are provided. All standard forms were prepared
in Hindi and English so that employees can use them without facing any difficulty. All
forms used in the Department were translated to Hindi. Entries in service books are
also made in Hindi. All rubber stamps, name plates, sign boards etc., are prepared in
bilingual form.

6. Bilingual Computers: All computers in the Department are bilingual. Facility to work
in Hindi is available on the computers which have been provided to the Officers and
Sections of the Department.

7. Hindi Teaching Scheme: A time bound programme was prepared for imparting Hindi/
Hindi Stenography/ Hindi Typing Training to the employees of the Department and
its Offices under the Hindi Teaching Scheme. Employees are awarded personal pay/
Advance increments/ Cash Awards etc. as per the instructions of the Department of
Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs.

8. Official Language Implementation Committee Meetings: The meetings of Official

Language Implementation Committee of the Department are held regularly. Additional
Secretary (Rajbhasha Adhikari) of the Department is the Chairman of this Committee
and Director (Admn.), all Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries and all Section

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Incharge and Branch Officers are members of this Committee. The Deputy Director
(O.L.)/Assistant Director (O.L.) is the Member Secretary. In these meetings, compliance
status of quarterly progressive report and implementation of orders related to Official
Language are reviewed. Minutes of the meetings are circulated to all concerned for
follow-up action.

9. Hindi Workshop: In compliance with the Official Language Policy of the Union and
the instructions issued by Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs,
with the objective of removing the difficulties being faced by the employees of
Department of Legal Affairs in their day-to-day official work in Hindi, a Hindi workshop
was organized on 27.09.2022. A lecture/training was given in this workshop to the
Officers/Assistants/UDCs/Court Clerks posted in Department of Legal Affairs by Shri
Shriprakash Shukla, Joint Director (Retd.).

Figure XI 2:
Hindi Workshop organised on 27.09.2022

10. Organisation of Hindi Pakhwada: To promote the use of Hindi and to increase the
awareness among the employees as regards the Official Language Policy and the
various incentive schemes for using Hindi in official work, ‘Hindi Pakhwada’ was
organised by the Department from 14.09.2022 to 29.09.2022. This year, during the
‘Hindi Pakhwada’, five competitions, namely, Hindi Essay Competition, Hindi Typing
Competition, Translation Competition, Hindi Noting and Drafting Competition and
Hindi Dictation (for Group ‘C’ employees and LDC and Court Clerks) were organised
by the Department. 83 Officers/employees participated in these competitions, out of
which 63 successful participants were awarded cash prizes totalling Rs. 86,500. Hindi
Pakhwada was also celebrated in the Branch Secretariats of the Department and
Benches of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

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 Figure XI 3:
Hindi Essay Competition conducted by the Department of Legal Affairs

11. Closing Ceremony of Hindi Pakhwada: A prize distribution function was organized
on the closing ceremony of Hindi Pakhwada on 29.09.2022 at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
International Centre, New Delhi. Cash prizes and certificates were awarded to the
winners of various competitions organized in the Department of Legal Affairs, in
which Officers/employees of the Ministry participated. The awards/certificates were
distributed by the Minister of Law and Justice.

12. Hindi Essay Competition: The Official Language Unit organised a Hindi essay
competitiontitled 'Corruption free India: Developed India' during the Vigilance Awareness
Week in which 23 personnel participated and 13 winners were awarded prizes.

Figure XI 4:
Minister of Law & Justice, Shri. Kiren Rijiju, distributing a certificate
to the winner in a Hindi Competition

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XII: INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL

INTRODUCTION
ITAT is one of the oldest Tribunals, set up under section 252 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961
to hear second appeals in all matters of Direct Taxes and Appeals against the revision
orders of Administrative Commissioners as well as orders denying registration under
Section 12A or under Section 80G of the Income-Tax Act, 1961. It functions as the final
fact-finding authority in the matters concerning income-tax, wealth-tax, gift-tax. The
orders passed by the ITAT are final; an appeal lies to the High Court only if a substantial
question of law arises for determination.

Figure XII-1:
Presence of ITAT

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 Table XII-1:
Presence of ITAT
PRESENCE OF ITAT
1. Agra 16. Jodhpur
2. Ahmedabad (ZO) 17. Kolkata (ZO)
3. Allahabad 18. Lucknow (ZO)
4. Amritsar 19. Mumbai (HQ & ZO)
5. Bengaluru (ZO) 20. Nagpur
6. Chandigarh (ZO) 21. Panaji
7. Chennai (ZO) 22. Patna
8. Cochin 23. Pune (ZO)
9. Cuttack 24. Raipur
10. Delhi (ZO) 25. Rajkot
11. Guwahati 26. Ranchi
12. Hyderabad (ZO) 27. Visakhapatnam
13. Indore 28. Surat
14. Jabalpur 29. Varanasi (Circuit Bench)
15. Jaipur 30. Dehradun (Circuit Bench)

ZO – Zonal Office; HQ - Headquarters

COMPOSITION
The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal is a quasi-judicial body headed by a President
and assisted by Zonal Vice-Presidents, and Members (both Accountant Members and
Judicial Members). The powers and functions of ITAT are exercised and discharged by
the Benches constituted by the President of the Tribunal from amongst the Members
thereof, which ordinarily consists of one Judicial Member and one Accountant Member.

Table XII-2:
Administrative structure of ITAT
PRESIDENT
Head Office Zones
(Mumbai) ( 10 Zones in various parts of the country)
Registrar Vice President
Deputy Registrar Members (AMs & JMs)
Assistant Registrar Deputy Registrar
Assistant Registrar
Benches ( At 30 Stations)
Members (AMs & JMs)
Assistant Registrar

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
BENCH STRENGTH
As constituted presently, the Tribunal consists of 63 Benches. For 63 Benches spread
over 30 stations (including 02 Circuit Benches) throughout the country, the present
sanctioned strength of Members is 126 including one (01) President and ten (10) Zonal
Vice-Presidents. The present position of sanctioned, filled up and vacant post is as under:

Table XII-3:
ITAT Bench Strength

Sr.No. Posts Sanctioned Filled up Vacant

1 President 01 01 00
2 Vice-President 10 05 05

3 Accountant Member 63 38 25
4 Judicial Member 63 45 18
TOTAL 126* 83** 43***

*including 01 President and 10 Vice Presidents

**including 01 President and 05 Vice Presidents
***including 05 Vice Presidents

POWERS AND FUNCTIONS

The Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal, constituted under the Income-Tax Act, 1961, deals with
second appeals in all matters of direct taxes, including appeals against the revisionary
orders of Administrative Commissioners as well as orders denying registration under
Section 12A or under Section 80G of the Act. The Appellate Tribunal also deals with
second appeals in all matters of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and
Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 including any revisionary order passed by the
Principal Commissioner/Commissioner.

The powers and functions of the Appellate Tribunal are exercised and discharged by
the Benches constituted by the President of the Tribunal from amongst the Members
thereof. Generally, a Bench consists of one Judicial Member and one Accountant Member.
However, in appropriate cases, at the discretion of the President, a Bench may consist of
more than two Members. The President or any other Member of Tribunal authorised on
this behalf by the Central Government may, sitting singly, dispose of any case which has
been allotted to the Bench of which he is a Member and which pertains to an assessee
whose total income as computed by the Assessing Officer, in that case, does not exceed
₹ fifty (50) lakhs and the President may, for the disposal of any particular case, constitute
a Special Bench consisting of three or more Members, one of whom shall necessarily be
a Judicial Member and one Accountant Member, subject to the provisions of the Income-
Tax Act, 1961.

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 Table XII 4:
Zone-wise Location of Benches

ZONE-WISE LOCATION OF BENCHES

Zone Station No. of Benches
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad 4
Indore 1
Rajkot 1
Surat 1
Bengaluru Bengaluru 3
Cochin 1
Chandigarh Chandigarh 2
Amritsar 1
Jaipur 2
Jodhpur 1
Chennai Chennai 4
Delhi Delhi 9
Agra 1
Dehradun Circuit Bench
Hyderabad Hyderabad 2
Viskhapatnam 1
Kolkata Kolkata 4
Cuttack 1
Guwahati 1
Patna 1
Ranchi 1
Lucknow Lucknow 2
Jabalpur 1
Allahabad 1
Varanasi Circuit Bench
Mumbai Mumbai 11
Pune Pune 3
Nagpur 1
Panaji 1
Raipur 1
63

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
PROCEDURE AND RULES
The Appellate Tribunal has the power to regulate its own procedure and the procedure
of its Benches in all matters arising out of the exercise of its powers or in the discharge
of its functions, including the places at which the Benches hold their sittings.

The Appellate Tribunal has, accordingly, framed its own rules called the Income-Tax
(Appellate Tribunal) Rules, 1963. The said Rules provide for expeditious disposal of all
matters pending before the Appellate Tribunal. The Appellate Tribunal functions as the
final fact-finding authority not only in the matters concerning Income-Tax but also in all
matters of taxation.

The matters, which the Appellate Tribunal disposes, involve revenue to the tune of
several crores. The Tribunal is entrusted with the responsible task of deciding intricate
questions of law and fact.

The presence of both the Judicial and Accountant Members ensures that questions
of law and fact, which arise for consideration are properly enquired into and weighed
properly. The Appellate Tribunal allows the representatives of both the parties to appear
before it and hears them before passing any order. The Members hear the parties, peruse
the evidence on record, make their own notes, refer to the authorities cited at the Bar,
confer among themselves and then pass final orders.

PENDENCY OF APPEALS
Necessary instructions were issued to all the Benches to scrutinize and identify cases
which are covered by decisions of I.T.A.T., High Courts, and the Supreme Court and post
them on priority basis. This includes group and small matters. The members of the Bar
were also requested to bring all such covered cases to the notice of I.T.A.T., for out of turn
posting. Besides, appeals dealing with Search and Seizure matters and appeals against
Order passed under section 263 by the Administrative Commissioners are prioritised.
Similarly, appeals against the denial of registration to charitable institutions under section
12A and denial of recognition under Section 80G are also prioritised. Appeals of senior
citizens are also taken up for priority hearing. Further, according to amendments made in
Income Tax Act, 1961 by Finance Act, 2015, appeals involving assessed income upto ₹50
lakh can be heard by a single member Bench.

The bar graph shows the result of efforts taken by ITAT to effectively reduce the
pending number of cases from 2018 to 2023.

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 Figure XII-2:
Pendency of ITAT cases
Graphical Representation of Decreasing Number of Pending Cases

36461
2023 9096
(upto 31.03.2023) 7233

38324
2022 39083
21364

54315
2021 40473
15046

79754
2020 24256
14617

89412
2019 53160
50991

91419
2018 51347
50807

Pendency Disposal Cases Institution of Cases

DIGITIZATION
Initiated in early 2000s, digitization has taken great momentum in living up to the motto
of “Nishpaksh Sulabh Satvar Nyay.” Various efforts have been detailed as follows:

a. ITAT Online Project

This project was the first initiative to automate the process of judicial administration
in the Tribunal starting from receipt and registration of appeals and applications up
to the disposal and uploading of Tribunal orders. This project was commissioned and
implemented in all Benches of the Tribunal in a phased manner. ITAT Online is a web-
based application which can be accessed from anywhere and anytime. Now all Benches
of ITAT have been connected to the ITAT Online database and activities like registration,
data updation, Tribunal order uploading, etc., are carried out through the web application.
Web-cum-Database Server of this project has been set up in National Informatics Centre
Cloud Server.

b. ITAT Official Website

As an extension of the ITAT Online Project, Official Website of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal
was redeveloped in 2016 and equipped to deliver judicial and general information to the

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
public. The Official Website was redesigned to make it more user friendly, informative,
responsive, updated and compliant with the Government of India’s Guidelines for
Websites. Dynamic information like Cause Lists, Constitution, Case Status, Order Search,
Pronouncement Search have been provided to cater to the judicial information needs of
the litigants. Besides, static information like Holiday Lists, Tenders and Auctions, Notice
Boards, Right to Information are accessible to the litigants in particular, and to the public
in general. This website is widely used and appreciated.

c. Digital Display Boards

As an innovative and eco-friendly step, physical notice boards were replaced with
digital notice boards at ITAT, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Raipur Benches. Cause Lists,
Constitutions, Friday lists, etc. are digitally displayed on the digital notice boards.

d. Lunching of Mobile Application

Android version of ITAT Judicial Information Portal was developed and released for the
benefit of appellants, respondents as well as their counsels. Owing to its simplicity and
ease of use, the portal is convenient.

e. JudiSIS Application
JudiSIS is an internal desktop application developed in-house for managing various day-
to-day judicial activities. JudiSIS enables internal users to manage cause lists, hearings,
prepare notices, generate periodical statements, send email communications, update
case status and publicise daily order-sheets on website.

f. Budget and Expenditure Monitoring System

For monitoring and consolidating the budget availability and expenditure position
efficiently and accurately in real-time, ITAT implemented an online application namely
BudgetMan, developed via the in-house talent pool. This application enabled the Head
Office to generate periodical budgetary statements at the click of a button.

g. CCTV Cameras
According to the directions of the Supreme Court of India, and the guidelines of the
Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice, CCTV Cameras with audio and
video recording facility were installed in court rooms and other important entry points of
various Benches of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. Currently, CCTV Cameras were
installed and are operational at 26 Benches of ITAT. CCTV Cameras are working in good
condition and recording is regularly done and reports have been received from these
Benches. Procurement and installation are in progress at four more Benches.

h. E-Court
E-Court Project is aimed at connecting non-functional benches with functional benches
and conducting judicial proceedings through video conferencing. E-Court infrastructure
has been set up at all Benches of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. Hearings at ITAT
Rajkot, Guwahati, Ranchi and Patna Benches are conducted through E-Courts.

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 i. Infrastructure Up-gradation
Better computerization needs better infrastructure. Accordingly, ITAT is replacing old
and obsolete computers, printers and other equipment with the latest ones in a phased
manner. All members of ITAT have already been provided with laptops for their official
use. The Members of ITAT are equipped with dictation Software to assist in the dictation
of orders. Optic fiber-based high-speed internet connectivity is provided to every Bench
to meet the bandwidth requirements of various projects and applications.

j. Centralization
Work towards centralization of non-judicial functions of subordinate Benches at the
Zonal Headquarters is in progress. This is done for Optimal Utilization of Human
Resources of ITAT. Centralization has already commenced in Delhi and Bangalore
Zonal Headquarters by taking over the work of Agra and Cochin Benches respectively
w.e.f. 1st November, 2022.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Figure XII-3:
Achievements of ITAT

LAUNCHING OF bZ&}kj (ITAT PAPERLESS COURT ITAT MEMBERS’ ELECTRONIC

E-FILING PORTAL) ITAT, as a pilot project, E-LIBRARY PORTAL COMMUNICATION OF
bZ&}kj, the E-Filing Portal of Income the trial run of court This portal provides HEARING NOTICES, ETC.
Tax Appellate Tribunal, was launched proceedings in paperless access to digital libraries ITAT commenced electronic
for enabling the appellants to file environment has been of the Supreme Court, Communication of
their appeals, cross objections and successfully conducted various High Courts to Acknowledgement of Filing
applications from their doorsteps. Since and the President’s Court the Members of the ITAT. of Appeals, Hearing Notices,
its launch, more than 2500 appeals, Room at ITAT, Delhi This portal also provides Defect Notices, etc. to
cross objections and applications have has been upgraded as seamless access to several the parties.
been filed by the appellants through Paperless Court. tax portals.
bZ&}kj,before various Benches of the
Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

PUBLISHING OF DAILY API LINKAGE WITH LIMBS RTI ONLINE PORTAL IMPLEMENTATION
ORDERS For the purpose of minimising All Public Authorities OF EOFFICE
As a major step in promoting manual data entry, LIMBS of ITAT have been By the courtesy of
transparency in judicial portal has been integrated on-boarded on the Department of Legal
administration, ITAT has through APIs with various RTI Online Portal Affairs, E-Office
started publishing daily orders Courts/Tribunal. The LIMBS (https://rtionline. software has been
passed by various Benches portal has been linked with gov.in) enabling the implemented in
of the Tribunal on the official ITAT facilitating seamless data applicants to file their ITAT for forwarding
website. All the Members transfer across applications, request for information various proposals to
have started signing the daily and shall help in auto updation and receive the Department of Legal
order sheets generated by of records on the LIMBS portal response online. Affairs electronically.
the JudiSIS software. pertaining to cases in ITAT.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
EVENTS
a. Inauguration Of New Office
New office premises of ITAT Raipur Bench was inaugurated on 4th June, 2022 at
Raipur, Chhattisgarh by Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law & Justice in the presence
of Professor S.P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law & Justice, Shri. Sunil Kumar
Soni, Member of Parliament and Shri. G. S. Pannu, President, ITAT. The Vice-Presidents,
Members, Officers from Income Tax Department and Members of Bar Association.

b. Interactive Meeting With The Stakeholders of ITAT

An interactive meeting with the stakeholders of ITAT was conducted at Mumbai on
15.01.2023. Shri Kiren Rijiju,Humble Union Minister of Law & Justice chaired the meeting.
Shri G.S.Pannu, President, ITAT, Vice President, ITAT, Pune zone, Members of Bar
Association and Officers of Income Tax Department attended the meeting.

c. Women’s Day Celebration

Women’s Day Celebration was conducted at various Benches on 08th Mar, 2023 to
empower the female Officers/Officials of ITAT. They were rewarded with a memento in
the form of Cups.

d. Training Programmes
A 02 days’ Refresher Training Programme for Superintendents of ITAT was conducted
on 27th – 28th May, 2022 at ITAT Bangalore.

e. Swachhata Pakhwada
“Swachhata Pakhwada” was observed at all the Benches of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal
during the period from 1st to 15th April, 2022 and “Swachhata Pledge” was administered
to all Officers and staff of ITAT on 01.04.2022.

f. Yoga Day Celebration

International day of Yoga was celebrated on 21st June, 2022 in all Benches of ITAT.

g. Hindi Diwas and Hindi Pakhwada

Inauguration of the Hindi Pakhwada was held on 14 September 2022 at Surat under the
Chairmanship of Shri. Amit Shah, Home Minister of India. Thereafter all the Benches of the
ITAT organized Hindi Diwas and Hindi Pakhwada. Various competitions were conducted
from 16 September, 2022 to 29 September, 2022 at all ITAT Benches.

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 I. VIGILANCE AWARENESS WEEK
“Vigilance Awareness Week” was observed at all the Benches of Income Tax Appellate
Tribunal and “Integrity Pledge” was administered to all Officers and staff of ITAT on
31.10.2022.

Figure XII 4:
Inauguration of New office premises at Raipur Bench

Figure XII 5:
Orientation and Training of New Members of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal
at New Delhi on 07 February, 2022

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XII 6:
Hindi Pakhwada Closing Ceremony at ITAT Mumbai Benches

THE PREMISES OF BENCHES OF ITAT

At the following stations, the ITAT is functioning from its own building:-
i. Jaipur
ii. Bengaluru
iii. Cuttack

At the following stations, pieces of land have been purchased by ITAT for construction of
office-cum-residential buildings:-
1. Pune: Construction of Training Centre, Guest House and Staff Quarters at Akurdi is
underway.
2. Lucknow: The Construction of office-cum-residential building of ITAT, Lucknow
Benches, Lucknow is in full swing.
3. Guwahati: ITAT has purchased 1 Bigha, 3 Katha, 1 Lessa at Fancy Bazar, Uzanbazar,
Guwahati from Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC).
4. Kolkata: The WBHIDCO Ltd. has allotted 1.25 Acres of leasehold land at Financial and
Legal Hub.
5. Ahmedabad: A land admeasuring 11,559 sq mts has been allotted for the construction
of office building/Staff Quarters for ITAT, Ahmedabad Benches.
6. Delhi: The construction of office building of the ITAT, Delhi Benches, Delhi by the NBCC
India Ltd. in Tower ‘B’ at World Trade Center, Nauroji Nagar, New Delhi is in full swing.
7. Raipur: An Office Space admeasuring 8730 sq.ft. area in the newly constructed
GPOA Building at Naya Raipur (Atal Nagar), Chattisgarh has been allotted to the
ITAT, Raipur Bench.

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 BENEVOLENT FUND
ITAT also has a Benevolent Fund, the corpus of which has been built out of voluntary
contributions by the Officers and staff. The President, Income-tax Appellate Tribunal, is
the patron. Officers and staff contribute voluntarily to this fund and disbursements are
made to officials in need of medical or other emergent situations on the recommendation
of the Committee formed under the Rules.

RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2005

RTI Act, 2005 has already been implemented by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. All
the 28 stations (63 Benches) of ITAT are registered on the website of CIC, Delhi. For
facilitating quicker access to information to the RTI applicants in keeping with the letter
and spirit of the RTI Act, all 28 Public Authorities of ITAT have been brought under the RTI
Online Portal (rtionline.gov.in).

IMPLEMENTATION OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGE POLICY

In accordance with the provisions of the Official Language Act, 1963, Official Language
Implementation Committees (OLICs) were constituted at all the Benches of the Income-
Tax Appellate Tribunal.

The OLICs of the concerned Bench monitor progress in achieving the targets set
for Hindi correspondence and implementation of Official Language Policies. The Head
Office at Mumbai regularly scrutinizes periodical reports on the progressive use of Hindi
forwarded by the Benches. Training in Hindi, Hindi Typing and Hindi Stenography is
offered by nominating sufficient number of officials under the Hindi Teaching Scheme of
the Department of Official Language, Government of India.

Hindi workshops were also held in all the Benches for proper implementation of the
Official Language policy. Sufficient funds were provided to purchase Hindi Books at all
the Benches. All offices of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal were instructed to make
expenditure towards purchase of Hindi Books (i.e. 50% of total library grant) according to
the Official Language policy and in accordance with the targets fixed by the Department
of Official Language, Government of India.

With a view to create awareness on the use of Hindi in official work as well as to
accelerate the pace of its progressive use, Hindi Day and Hindi Fortnight were organized
at all Benches.
An Annual Magazine “Srijan” is published at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Mumbai.
It contains articles, stories, poems and travelogues written by Members, Officers and
employees of various Benches of ITAT.

Implementation of instructions regarding representation of PwDs,

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and ex-servicemen etc.
The Government of India’s instructions regarding the concessions in appointments
to the persons with disabilities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Ex-
Serviceman etc., were duly implemented during the period under consideration. The
statistics relating to the representation of these categories in services of the Income-
Tax Appellate Tribunal are as follows:

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES OF I.T.A.T. INCLUDING

SCS, STS, OBCS, EXS, PH UPTO 31.03.2023

Table XII-5:
Category wise ITAT Staff Statistics

GROUP A No of employees GEN SC ST OBC Ex-serv PH

President 1 1 - - - - -
Vice President 5 3 - - 2 - -
Accountant Member 36 22 3 1 10 - -
Judicial Member 41 26 7 0 8 - -
Registrar 0 0 - - - - -
Deputy Registrar 1 1 - - - - -
Assistant Registrar 9 4 2 1 2 - -
Hindi Officer - - - - - - -
TOTAL 93 57 12 2 22 - -

GROUP B No of GEN SC ST OBC Ex-serv PH

employees
SC ST OBC GEN SC ST OBC GEN
Senior P.S. 86 53 13 2 18 - - - - - - - -
Private 7 1 3 0 3 - - - - - - - -
Secretary
Superintendent 6 5 1 - - - - - - - - - -
Office Suptd. 48 31 6 2 8 - - - - - 1 - -
Hindi - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Translator
Senior 0 0 - - - - - - - - - - -
Accountant
Librarian 2 2 - - - - - - - - - - -
TOTAL 149 92 23 4 29 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Note: 07 post of Sr. Hindi Translator filled on Ad-hoc basis

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 GROUP No of em- GEN SC ST OBC Ex-serv PH
C ployees
SC ST OBC GEN SC ST OBC GEN
Upper 119 50 25 8 32 - - 1 - - - 1 2
Division
Clerk
Steno 1 1 - - - - - - - - - - -
Grade 'D'
Lower 107 46 17 7 34 - - 1 - - - 2 -
Division
Clerk
Staff Car 29 6 9 1 6 1 0 2 4 - - - -
Driver
TOTAL 256 103 51 16 72 1 0 4 4 0 0 3 2

No of GEN SC ST OBC Ex-serv PH

em-
ploy-
ees
SC ST OBC GEN SC ST OBC GEN
Multi- 176 58 56 16 46 1 - 3 5 4 - 3 1
Tasking
Staff
TOTAL 176 58 56 16 46 1 - 3 5 4 - 3 1

NUMBER OF FEMALE EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THE DEPARTMENT:

Table XII-6:
ITAT Female Employee Statistics

S.NO. Categories of Staff No. of Female Employees

1. Group A 11
2. Group B 47
3. Group C 26
4. MTS 11
Total 95

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XIII. LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA

BACKGROUND
Law Commission of India is constituted every three years by a notification of the
Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India with
definite Terms of Reference to carry out research in the field of law. The Commission
makes recommendations to the Government according to its mandate.

The 22nd Law Commission was constituted vide Notification dated 21.02.2020 for a
period of three years. The Central Government appointed Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Retired
Chief Justice, Karnataka High Court as the Chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission
along with three Full-time Members and two Part-Time Members.

The full time members of the Commission are: Justice K.T. Sankaran, Retired Judge of
the Kerala High Court, (Prof.) Dr. Anand Paliwal, Professor Mohanlal Sukhadia University,
Udaipur and (Prof.) Dr. D.P. Verma, Former Head and Dean, Law School, BHU and Former
Additional Director, National Judicial Academy, Bhopal.

The Part-Time Members of the Commission are: Shri M. Karunanithi, Advocate, and
(Prof.) Dr. Raka Arya, Professor of Political Science at National Law Institute University,
Bhopal. The Commission also comprises of two ex-officio Members, namely, the Law
Secretary and the Legislative Secretary, and one Member Secretary. The Commission is
assisted by Law Officers of Indian Legal Service. Besides, Officers of CSS and CSSS deal
with the administration.

VISION
Making recommendations for reforming the laws for fostering justice in society and
promoting good governance under the rule of law.

ROLE
The task of the Law Commission of India, inter alia, include review of obsolete laws,
to examine the laws which affect the poor and carry out post-audit for socio-economic
legislations, to keep under review the system of judicial administration to ensure that it is
responsive to the reasonable demands of the times and in particular to secure elimination
of delays, speedy clearance of arrears and reduce costs so as to secure quick and
economic disposal of cases, to examine the existing laws in the light of Directive Principles
of State Policy and to suggest ways for improvement, reform and also to suggest such
legislations as might be necessary to implement the Directive Principles and to attain the
objectives set out in the Preamble to the Constitution, to examine the existing laws with a
view to promote gender equality and suggest amendments thereto, to revise the Central
Acts of general importance so as to simplify them and to remove anomalies, ambiguities
and inequities, to examine the impact of globalization on food security, unemployment
and recommend measures for the protection of the interests of the marginalized.

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 Twenty-Second Law Commission of India

JUSTICE RITU RAJ AWASTHI, CHAIRPERSON

Full-Time Members Part-Time Members Ex-officio Members

Justice Prof. (Dr.) Shri Prof. (Dr.) Dr. Niten Chandra Dr. Reeta Vashishtha,
K.T. Sankaran D.P. Verma S.M. Karunanithi Raka Arya Law Secretary Secretary,
(Additional Charge of Legislative Department
Member Secretary, Law
Prof. (Dr.) Anand Paliwal Commission of India)

ADMINISTRATION

SMT. VARSHA CHANDRA, Joint Secretary & Legal Adviser

Shri Atul Kumar Gupta Shri Raja Kar

Deputy Law Officer Deputy Secretary
Administration

Shri Om Prakash Garwa

Section Officer Admin

Shri Arun Kumar Shri Raj Tilak Shri Sanjeev

Assistant Section Officer Assistant Section Officer Assistant Section Officer

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
FUNCTIONS OF THE LAW COMMISSION
The Law Commission works on projects based on:

(a) References received from the Central Government and/or from Supreme Court of
India and High Courts.
(b) Suo motu Cognizance: Keeping in view the importance of the subject matter, the
Commission may initiate study on specific subjects.

METHODOLOGY ADOPTED BY THE COMMISSION

On receipt of references for examination, priorities are decided, and preparatory work
is assigned to the Members of the Commission. Depending upon the nature and scope
of the topic, research methodologies for collection of data and views are formulated
keeping the scope of the proposal for reform in mind.

Discussion at Commission meetings during this period helps not only in articulating
the issues and focusing on the research, but also in evolving a consensus among the
Members of the Commission. A working paper outlining the problem and suggesting
matters deserving consideration emerges out of this preparatory work in the Commission.

The success of the Commission’s work in law reforms is dependent upon its capacity
to consult the widest section of the people and collect data, views/suggestions, and
inputs from the public and concerned interest groups.

At times, the working paper is sent out for circulation among the public and concerned
interest groups/stakeholders with a view to elicit comments. Usually, a carefully prepared
questionnaire is sent to interest groups/stakeholders.

The Law Commission makes every effort to ensure that the widest sections of people
are consulted in formulating proposals for law reforms. In this process, the Commission
involves professional bodies and academic institutions. Seminars and workshops are
organised to elicit critical opinions on proposed strategies for reform. The Commission
always welcomes suggestions from any person, institution, or organization on the issues
under consideration.

Final Report: Once the data and suggestions are assimilated, the Commission evaluates
them, and the information is used for appropriate incorporation in the report which is
written under the guidance of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. It is
then subjected to scrutiny by the entire Commission in a meeting. Once the Report and
summary are finalised, the Commission may decide to prepare a draft amendment or a
new Bill which may be appended to its Report. Thereafter, the final report is submitted to
the Central Government for consideration.

Follow-up: The Reports of the Law Commission are laid before the Parliament from time
to time by the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice and forwarded to
the concerned administrative Departments/Ministries for implementation. They are acted
upon by concerned Departments/ Ministries depending on the Government's decision.
Invariably, the reports are cited in Courts, Parliamentary Standing Committees, and in
academic and public discourses.

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 GENDER REPRESENTATION
The number of female and male employees employed in the Commission is
mentioned below:

Figure XIII-1:
Number of Male and Female Employees in the
Law Commission of India (in percentage)

Male Female

18%

82%

A total number of 37 employees are employed in the Law Commission, out of whom
seven are female employees (i.e. 18%) and the rest are male employees (i.e. 82%).

RIGHT TO INFORMATION
The Right to Information Act, 2005 is strictly adhered to in the Law Commission of
India. A large number of online/offline applications are received seeking information on
various issues pertaining to Law Commission’s projects under study, reports submitted
by earlier Law Commissions and on administrative matters. During the year, 490 RTI
applications seeking information under the said Act were received, which were promptly
attended to by giving due reply to the applicants according to the provisions of the Right
to Information Act, 2005 and the rules made thereunder. 17 First Appeals were preferred
before the First Appellate Officer by the applicants which were duly disposed on merits.
One Second Appeal was filed before the Central Information Commission and the same
was dismissed.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

PUBLIC GRIEVANCES
The Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is an
online web-enabled system developed by NIC in association with the Department of
Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, with an objective of speedy redress
and effective monitoring of grievances by Ministries/Departments/Organizations of the
Government of India. This year, few public grievances were received from PMO and
through the online portal which were addressed by the Public Grievance Officer of the
Commission.

BUDGET
The total budget allocated to the Commission for the financial year 2022-23 is ₹7.7 Crore.

HIGHLIGHTS
1. Technological Advancement: The website of the Law Commission of India was
upgraded from HTML to content management framework (CMF) S3WAAS based
module. This had enabled the Commission to make available to the citizens the
information of the Law Commission in bilingual form i.e. both in English and Hindi.
The content audit of the website was also accomplished. In the Law Commission
of India, e-Office has been implemented, thereby doing away with physical file
movement. Special steps have been taken to impart training to all officials for smooth
implementation and optimal utilization of e-Office. The software ‘LIMBS’, developed
by NIC, is also functional in the Law Commission of India. The matters pertaining to
the Law Commission are duly updated in the said portal.

2. Swachhta Campaign: Cleanliness Drive under the “Special Campaign 2.0” was
conducted at the Law Commission of India. Under the said campaign, during
September 2022, old files/records were reviewed according to the Record Retention
Schedule issued by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
for weeding out or otherwise retaining the reviewed files, thereby cleaning up the
office. 231 files were reviewed, out of which 90 files were weeded out. The old,
obsolete/unserviceable items, such as furniture, ACs, e-waste, old vehicles etc. were
auctioned and 308 sq. ft. of space was created in the office.

3. Events: To promote and encourage the implementation of Official Language in the

Law Commission of India, Hindi Diwas was organized on 14 September 2022. Hindi
Fortnight (Hindi Pakhwada) was organized from 16 September 2022 to 29 September
2022. During the Hindi Pakhwada, four competitions, i.e. Hindi Essay, Hindi Typing,
Hindi Dictation and Hindi translation were organized. Total 30 employees participated
in these competitions. Cash prizes along with certificates were given to the winners of
each competition.

4. On 21 June 2022, the 7th International Yoga Day was celebrated at the Law
Commission of India by organising yoga camp, whereby yoga T-shirts and yoga mats
were distributed for encouraging everyone to practice and adopt Yoga. A yoga expert
was invited for a practical session and meditation.

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 5. On 26 November 2022, the Preamble of the Constitution of India was read by all the
Officers and employees of the Commission in the presence of Member Mr. Justice K.T.
Sankaran on the occasion of the Constitution Day.

6. Empowerment of Women: In compliance with Section 4(1) of Sexual Harassment of

Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, an Internal
Complaints Committee has been constituted for redressal of complaints by aggrieved
women employees of the Commission. The Committee consists of two women
(including one Member from an NGO) and one male employee.

7. Disposal of obsolete/unserviceable items: The old, obsolete/unserviceable items i.e.

Furniture, ACs, e-waste were auctioned and approximately 300 sq. ft. of space was
created in the office. An amount of ₹65,000/- was generated through the auction.

8. Weeding out of records: Physical files and records were reviewed and old records/
files were weeded out under special campaign and approximately 200 sq. ft of space
was created in the office.

9. Conference on Sustainable Development In India: Evolution And Legal Perspectives:-

Law Commission of India organized a conference on Sustainable Development In
India: Evolution And Legal Perspectives in association with University College of Law,
Mohanlal Sukhadia University from 25th to 26th February 2023 in Udaipur.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XIV: INDIAN LAW INSTITUTE

BRIEF BACKGROUND

T
he Indian Law Institute (ILI) was established in 1956 for the promotion of legal
research. It was granted a ‘Deemed University’ status in 2004 vide notification of the
Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. It was accredited
with an ‘A’ Grade (CGPA 3.35 out of 4.00) by NAAC in 2017 and completed its first cycle of
accreditation. It is an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act,
1860. The autonomous character of the Institute ensures academic freedom to carry out
its objectives and meaningful research.

Figure XIV-1:
Indian Law Institute

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 VISION
The primary vision of the Institute is to create good researchers. It aims to impart the art
of research through an interdisciplinary approach. It focuses on the following key areas:
(i) To enquire about unanswered questions and knowledge gaps for the creation of new
legal knowledge, theories, analyses, and methods; (ii) To generate new policy proposals
on law and justice; and (iii) To actively participate in global academic discourse.

MISSION
The key features of the mission of the Institute are as follows:
i. To cultivate and promote the science of law;
ii. To bring substantial reforms in the administration of justice; and
iii. To meet the socio-economic aspirations of the general masses through law and its
instrumentalities.

BROAD OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Institute are as follows:
i. To promote the universalization and systematization of law;
ii. To encourage and conduct research in legal and its allied fields;
iii. To disseminate legal knowledge and its principles;
iv. To publish studies, treatises, books, periodicals, reports, and other literature relating
to law and allied fields;
v. To undertake documentation of significant legal and allied materials;
vi. To maintain libraries;
vii. To constitute regional offices at convenient centres across the nation for the promotion
of institutional activities.

FUNCTIONS
The Indian Law Institute imparts legal education and encourages research activities
in various fields of law. It holds various workshops/training programmes/ conferences/
awareness programmes in the area of law and its applicability for larger societal
requirement. It is also associated with various national/international organisations/
institutions for dissemination of legal thoughts and development of newer dimensions
of law.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES
The Institute introduced its LL.M. (One Year, full-time) programme from the academic
session 2013-2014. The one-year LL.M. programme is designed to facilitate scholars
with a comparative understanding of legal systems and the concept of ‘justice’ in the
globalized world. The LL.M. programme covers vital areas like International Trade
Law, Intellectual Property Rights Law, Criminal Law, Human Rights, and Judicial
Administration. The publication of scholarly research papers is an integral part of this
course. It helps scholars to acquire sufficient teaching and research skills for pursuing
a career in academics and research.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
The Institute offers a Ph.D. Programme. The Ph.D. regulation is specially tailored for
individuals having outstanding research skills.
The Institute offers Post Graduate Diploma Courses in vital areas like Corporate
Law and Management, Cyber Law, Intellectual Property Rights Law and Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADRs). These programs are designed to enhance the domain
knowledge of the students.

Figure XIV 2
Academic Programmes offered by the Institute

LLM
(One Year-
Full Time)
Alternate
Dispute
Resolution
RESEARCH ORIENTED PROGRAMME

Ph.D

P.G. DIPLOMA COURSES

Corporate
Laws and
Management

Cyber Law

Intellectual
Property
Rights Laws

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 Apart from the above-mentioned academic programmes, the Institute offers e-Learning
courses of three months duration. The batches completed their courses on 11 July 2022.
i. Cyber Law: 67 students were enrolled in the 41st batch.
ii. Intellectual Property Rights and Information Technology in the Internet Age: 47
students were enrolled in the 52nd batch.
The new batch commenced on 17th August 2022. The strength of the scholars enrolled
in the academic year 2022-23 is as follows:

Figure XIV 3
Strength of Scholars in the Academic Year 2022-23
LLM Ph.D PG Diploma Courses

14%
2%
84%

A total of 38 (14%) and 5 (2%) scholars are enrolled in LL.M. and Ph.D. programmes
respectively. Further, a total of 222 (84%) scholars are enrolled in P.G. Diploma Courses.

GENDER REPRESENTATION
The percentage share of employees employed in the Institute is mentioned below:
The total number of female employees employed in the Institute is 14 (32%) and the total
number of male employees is 30 (68%).

Figure XIV 4
Percentage share of Male and Female employees

Male Female

32%
68%

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
HUMAN RESOURCES
The Human Resources of the Indian Law Institute is mentioned below (brackets represent
the strength of the employees):
I. Group A: Director (1), Professor (4), Librarian (1), Registrar (1), Associate Professor (5),
Deputy Librarian (1), Deputy Registrar (1), Assistant Professor (10), Assistant Librarian
(2), Accounts Officer (1), Assistant Registrar (2), Assistant Controller of Examination (1),
Computer System Administrator (1)
II. Group B: Superintendent (2), Library Superintendent (1), Estate Officer (1), Chief
Accountant (1), Editorial Assistant (1), Assistant (4), Library Assistant (4), Building
Assistant (1), Technical Assistant (5), Exam Assistant (2), Junior Accounts Officer (2),
Caretaker (1), Sr. Stenographer (1)
III. Group C: UDC (3), Stenographer (2), Junior Technical Assistant (6), Junior Library
Assistant (7), Head Mali (1), LDC (2), Sr. Attendant (1)
IV. Group D: Sr. Farash (1), Daftri (1), Sr. Chowkidar (2), Sr. Sweeper (2), Sr. Attendant (1),
Attendant cum Driver (1), Chowkidar (3), Sweeper (2), Attendant (5), Attendant cum
electrician (1), Attendant cum Mali (1), Attendant cum Plumber (1)

BUDGET
The budget of the Institute for the Financial year 2023-2024 is ₹1130 lakhs.

ACTIVITIES OF THE INSTITUTE

1. Web Series of Lectures/ Conferences/ Talk/ Seminars conducted by the Indian
Law Institute:
a. National Seminar on ‘Gender Justice and Women’s Rights for Sustainable Tomorrow’
on March 08, 2022.
b. Webinar on ‘Handling Erroneous Convictions: Learning from the American Experience’
on March 14, 2022.
c. Integrated Certificate Course in Mediation (April 7-8 and 13-15, 2022).
d. Commonwealth Legal Association (CLEA) and Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy and
Training (MILAT), in association with Indian Law Institute (ILI) and Lloyd Law College
(LLC), with academic support from Empowerment through Law of the Common People
(ELCOP), Bangladesh organised an eleven-day Human Rights and Social Justice
Summer School-2022. The summer school was organised on the theme ‘Freedom of
Expression’ (May 27 - June 06, 2022).
e. The Indian Law Institute organised a Faculty Seminar on ‘Supreme Court decisions on
Sexual Harassment’ on May 31, 2022.
f. Inaugural function of World Environment Day Observance, 2022 and International
Conference on Sustainability and Subsistence: Human Rights and Environmental
Issues on June 05-06, 2022.
g. International Yoga Day Celebration: To raise awareness of the health advantages of Yoga,
the Indian Law Institute observed the 8th International Yoga Day on June 21, 2022.
h. International Conference on 'Situating Justice in Armed Conflict: Can there be Just
Wars?' on August 5-7, 2022
i. Two-Day Programme for Judicial Officers on Human Rights: Issues and Challenges on
September 17-18, 2022.
j. Conference on Gender and the Indian Penal Code on 6-8 October, 2022.
k. The Indian Law Institute CLEA-MILAT Research Mentoring Programme (RMP) 2022”
on October 31-November 4, 2022.

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 l. Two-Day Programme for Police Personnel on Police and Human Rights: Issues and
Challenges on 10-11 December, 2022.
m. One-Day Programme for Media Personnel on Human Rights: Issues and Challenges
on 21 January, 2023.
n. International Webinar on Disaster Management Laws in Asia: A Retrospect on 27-28
January, 2023.
o. Two-Day Programme for Prison Officials on Human Rights: Issues and Challenges on
11-12 February, 2023
p. CLEA Golden Jubilee International Conference, 2023 on Augmenting Legal Education
through Technology: Issues and Challenges on 2-4 March, 2023.
q. Two-Day Programme for First Class Judicial Magistrates on Human Rights: Issues and
Challenges on 25-26 March, 2023.
r. 40 Hour Training Program on Mediation in collaboration with Delhi High Court
Mediation & Conciliation Centre, SAARC Law India and SAMADHAN on 28 March - 1
April, 2023.

2. Book Release: The Institute released the following books:

a. Book titled ‘Novel Dimensions of Copyright Law’
b. Book titled ‘Legal Research and Writing’

3. Publications: The following research publications were released by the institute:

a. Journal of the Indian Law Institute (JILI) - Published quarterly, containing research
articles on contemporary legal issues of National/International Importance.
b. ILI Newsletter - Published quarterly, referring to various activities undertaken by the
Institute during the year and forthcoming activities.
c. Index to Legal Periodicals - Published yearly and contains indexes, periodicals (including
year books and other annual publications) pertaining to law and related fields received
(either by subscription or exchange or complementary) by the ILI Library.
d. Annual Survey of Indian Law - Published yearly and is a prestigious publication of the
Institute and contains Annual Survey of Indian Law including latest trends in every
branch of law of importance.
e. Legal Research Manual - Published by Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Director, ILI.
f. ILI Law Review (Summer) and (Winter).
g. Legal Research and Writing - Published by Prof.(Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha and Dr. Deepa
Kharb
h. India at 75: Reminiscences and Reflections - Published by Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar
Sinha

4. Forthcoming Publication: Book on ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ lectures series

organised by the Indian Law Institute.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XV : CENTRAL AGENCY SECTION

ABOUT

T
he Central Agency Section (‘CAS’) was established in 1950. This office is responsible
for conducting litigation before the Supreme Court of India on behalf of all Ministries/
Departments of the Central Government, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Union
Territories, the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (‘CAG’) and all field
offices under the CAG. Special Leave Petitions and appeals are to be filed through the
Central Agency Section after obtaining the opinion of Law Officers on the feasibility of
filing such petitions or appeals in the Supreme Court. This Section functions from the
Supreme Court Compound, New Delhi.

Figure XV 1:
Central Agency Section

FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AGENCY SECTION

The Central Agency Section assists the Union Government and all other associated bodies
in conducting their litigation before the Supreme Court of India. The other functions of
the Section are as follows:
i. Supervision of litigation: It conducts and supervises litigation on behalf of the Union
of India, NCT of Delhi, CAG, and Union Territories in the Supreme Court.
ii. Engagement of Law Officers: It engages Law Officers or approves Panel Counsels
for various cases.
iii. Processing of references: It receives references from the Ministries/Departments of
Government of India through the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and
Justice to obtain the opinions of the Attorney General of India, the Solicitor General
of India and the Additional Solicitors General of India.
iv. Maintenance of records and Payment of fee bills: It supervises and maintains
records, payment of fee bills of Law Officers, Panel Counsels, computer typists, and
photocopy machine operators.

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 Figure XV-2:
Central Agency Section and its Core Functions

Engagement of Maintenance of records and

Law Officers processing of fee bills

Supervision of Processing of
Litigation references

COMPOSITION OF THE CENTRAL AGENCY SECTION:

The Central Agency Section is constituted of the following officials:
i. In-charge: The Additional Secretary is in-charge of this Section and has been
delegated the power of Head of Department. He is assisted by eight Government
Advocates and one Consultant (Advocate-on-Record). Government Advocates require
the qualification of Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court. They appear before
the Supreme Court in matters pertaining to the Union of India, NCT of Delhi, CAG, and
Union Territories according to the Supreme Court Rules.
ii. Government Panel Counsels: There are 587 Government Panel Counsels which
include 11 Law Officers and 576 Advocates.
The office bearers of the Central Agency Section are as follows:

i. Dr. Niten Chandra, IAS, Law Secretary, In-Charge, CAS

ii. M.K. Maroria, Senior Government Advocate; Raj Bahadur, Additional Government
Advocate; Sudarshan K, Additional Government Advocate; Amrish Kumar,
Deputy Government Advocate; G.S Makkar, Additional Government Advocate;
N.Vishakamurthy, Assistant Government Advocate; A.K. Sharma, Consultant/AOR;
Shreekant N. Terdal/AOR; Arun Kumar Yadav, Assistant Government Advocate.
Gender Representation: The number of female and male employees employed in the
Central Agency Section is mentioned below:

Figure XV-3:
Percentage Share of Male and Female Employees

4%
Male

Female
96%

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
A total number of 93 employees are employed in the Central Agency Section, out of
whom, four (i.e. 4%) are female employees and the rest are male employees (i.e. 96%).

BUDGET AND ACCOUNTS

 Budget for Financial Year 2022-23
The allocated budget to the Central Agency Section for the financial year 2022-23 is
₹42.60 Crores.

 Payment of Fees
Counsel Fee: The fee to the Panel Counsels is paid according to the prescribed rates by
the Government. The fee bills submitted by the Panel Counsels are checked and verified
from the proceeding registers maintained by the concerned Government Advocates.

Court Fee: In cases where large amounts of court fees are required to be paid, the
concerned Ministries/Departments make arrangements for payment of court fees
through M/s Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL). For smaller amounts of
court fees, Central Agency Section has entered into an arrangement with SHCIL for the
e-payment of court fees.

Computer Typist / Photostat Operators: A panel of Computer Typists/ Photostat

Machine Operators discharges the litigation work. After necessary scrutiny, the CAS
pays off the bills raised by them.

CASES MATRIX AT A GLANCE

The total number of pending cases is 47,486, out of which Union cases are 41,836 and
State cases are 5,650. A total number of 4914 cases (i.e. 4082 Union cases and 832 State
cases) of 59 Ministries of the Government of India were filed.

Figure XV-4:
Number of Pending, Filed and Disposed Cases

47486

4914
1487
Pending Filed Disposed
Cases Cases Cases

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 Table XV1:
Ministry-wise number of cases filed

Ministry/Department No. of filed

cases
AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE 12
AYUSH 13
CABINET SECRETARIAT 11
CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS 1
CIVIL AVIATION 15
COAL 6
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY 15
COMMUNICATION TELECOMMUNICATION (DoT) 15
COMMUNICATIONS (DoP) 28
COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL OF INDIA 26
CONSUMER AFFAIRS FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION 14
COOPERATION 3
CORPORATE AFFAIRS 46
CULTURE 6
DEFENCE 238
DELHI ADMINISTRATION 239
DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY 5
EARTH SCIENCES 1
EDUCATION (MoE) 14
ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE 111
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 22
FINANCE 2016
FISHERIES ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING 3
FOOD CORPORATION OF INDIA 1
HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE 69
HEAVY INDUSTRIES 1
HOME AFFAIRS 519
HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS 23

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Ministry No. of filed cases

INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING 7
JAL SHAKTI(DEPT OF WATER RESOURCES) 12
LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT 9
LAW AND JUSTICE 114
MEITY 8
MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES 4
MINES 11
MINORITY AFFAIRS 11
NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY 1
PARLIMENTARY AFFAIRS 2
PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES 358
AND PENSIONS
PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 17
PORTS SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS 3
POWER 3
PRIME MINISTERS OFFICE 3
RAILWAYS 172
ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS 11
RURAL DEVELOPMENT 27
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2
SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP 3
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT 26
STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME 3
IMPLEMENTATION
STEEL 2
TEXTILES 4
TOURISM 2
TRIBAL AFFAIRS 3
UTS EXCLUDING DELHI 604
WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 17
YOUTH AFFAIR AND SPORTS 2
Total 4914

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 Table XV2:
Ministry-wise number of disposed cases
Total no. of disposed Cases
Sr. Ministry/ Department No. of Sr. Ministry/ Department No. of
No. Cases No. Cases
1 AGRICULTURE & 5 23 HOME 122
FARMER WELFARE AFFAIRS
2 ATOMIC 1 24 HOUSING & URBAN 10
ENERGY AFFAIRS
3 AYUSH 2 25 INFORMATION & 5
BROADCASTING
4 CENTRAL BUREAU OF 91 26 LAW & JUSTICE 6
INVESTIGATION
5 CHEMICAL & FERTILISER 1 27 MEITY 3
6 COAL 1 28 MINES 1
7 COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES 1 29 MINORITY AFFAIRS 6
8 COMMUNICATION 4 30 NEW & RENEWABLE 1
TELECOMMUNICATION (DoT) ENERGY
9 COMMUNICATIONS 87 31 PERSONNEL, PUBLIC 22
(DoP) GRIEVANCES AND
PENSIONS
10 COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR 4 32 PETROLEUM & 1
GENERAL OF INDIA NATURAL GAS
11 CORPORATE AFFAIRS 9 33 POWER 2
12 CULTURE 1 34 RAILWAYS 80
13 DEFENCE 109 35 ROAD TRANSPORT & 4
HIGHWAYS
14 DELHI ADMINISTRATION 40 36 RURAL DEVELOPMENT 13
15 EARTH & SCIENCE 1 37 SCIENCE & 1
TECHNOLOGY
16 EDUCATION 2 38 SKILL DEVELOPMENT 2
17 ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND 5 39 SOCIAL JUSTICE & 6
CLIMATE CHANGE EMPOWERMENT
18 EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 1 40 TEXTILE 1
19 FINANCE 792 41 TRIBAL AFFAIRS 1
20 FISHERIES, ANIMAL 1 42 UNION TERRITORIES 16
HUSBANDARY & DAIRYING
21 HEALTH AND 23 43 WOMEN AND CHILD 1
FAMILY WELFARE DEVELOPMENT
22 HEAVY INDUSTRIES 2
Total 1487

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XVI: BRANCH SECRETARIATS

1. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, BENGALURU

T
he Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru has jurisdiction over the States of Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Union Territory of Puducherry (with Andhra
Pradesh) in handling litigation and rendering legal advice of various Central
Government Departments/Ministries. An Assistant Legal Adviser heads the Branch
Secretariat, Bengaluru.

Figure XVI 1:
Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru

1.1 ADVICE
The Branch Secretariat renders legal advice to all the Central Government Departments
and offices located within its jurisdiction. 756 references were received for legal advice.
The advice work includes scrutiny and vetting of pleadings i.e., statement of objections,
counter affidavits to be filed before the High Courts i.e., High Court of Karnataka,
Bengaluru (including Benches at Dharwad and Kalaburagi), High Court of Telangana at
Hyderabad and High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati, reply statement filed before
Central Administrative Tribunals at Bengaluru and Hyderabad, written statement, counter
affidavits filed before District Courts and various other Tribunals. The advice work also
includes examining the feasibility of filing SLP, Appeals, review etc. interpretation of laws
guiding Departments on legal sustainability of their action and holding discussions with
the administrative Departments, whenever necessary.

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 1.2 SUPERVISING LITIGATION
The Branch Secretariat supervises the entire litigation of the Central Government
Departments and offices in the High Court of Karnataka at Bengaluru (including Benches
at Dharwad and Kalaburagi), High Court of Telangana at Hyderabad and High Court of
Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati, District Courts located at Bengaluru and other districts
of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, CAT located in these States and Union
Territory of Puducherry (with Andhra Pradesh).
The Branch Secretariat also looks after Government litigation before the District
Consumer Dispute Redressal Fora, the State Consumer Redressal Commissions of the
States, Central Government Industrial Tribunal and Debt Recovery Tribunal. The function
of the Branch Secretariat in this regard includes engagement/ nomination of the Counsel
and distribution of cases among the Central Government Counsel. 6694 litigation matters,
which include nomination of Counsel, counsel fee bills and general correspondence
relating to litigation, were received.

1.3 FEE BILLS OF COUNSELS

This Branch Secretariat processes counsel fee bills and pays the fees directly from its
centralized funds to the Assistant Solicitor General of India and Central Government
Counsel in the High Court of Karnataka, Bengaluru. 921 fee bills were received by the
Branch Secretariat. So far as the Benches of High Court of Karnataka at Dharwad and
Gulbarga are concerned, the counsel fee is borne by the Department concerned on
whose behalf the Counsel conducts the cases. The Departments concerned pay the fee
for Central Government Panel Counsel in CAT and District Courts.

1.4 EVENTS OF THE BRANCH SECRETARIAT, BENGALURU

i. International Yoga Day
The International Yoga Day was celebrated by the employees of the Branch Secretariat,
Bengaluru by performing yoga collectively.

Figure XVI-2:
Employees performing Yoga Asanas on the occasion of International Yoga Day

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

The significance of performing yoga was discussed along with the benefits associated
with it. All the employees were encouraged to incorporate the same in their respective
daily routine.

ii. Observance of Hindi Month

The Hindi Month was celebrated in the Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru by conducting
various competitions for the Officers and Staff. Officers/Staff posted with the Branch
Secretariat participated in various competitions organised with the assistance of the
Deputy Director of the Hindi Teaching Scheme, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bengaluru.
Certificates and cash prizes were awarded to the winners.

Figure XVI-3: Deputy Director of the Hindi Teaching Scheme, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Bengaluru distributing prizes to the winner of Competition

iii. Celebration of Constitution Day

As part of the Branch Secretariat’s commemoration of the Constitution Day, the Preamble
to the Constitution was read. A senior panel counsel was invited to deliver a lecture
on the Indian Constitution which was attended by the Officers and staff of the Branch
Secretariat, as well as some members of the legal fraternity. A poster with the Preamble
of the Constitution was printed and put up in the office complex at Kendriya Sadan. A
speech and essay writing was also organised for the employees.

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 Figure XVI-4:
Employees sharing their insightful thoughts on the occasion of Constitution Day

iv. Vigilance Awareness Week

Every year, the Vigilance Awareness Week is observed to sensitise the public on prevention
of and the fight against corruption in the country. During the Vigilance Awareness Week,
2022, the Integrity Pledge was administered by the In-Charge on 26th October, 2022 to
all the officials/Officers following the COVID protocols.

v. Special Campaign for Weeding-Out of Old Files

More than 500 old files of the Branch Secretariat were reviewed, identified and weeded-
out during the Special Campaign 2.0.

vi. Observance of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, 2022

The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Pledge was administered by Shri. B. Nanda Kumar, Assistant
Legal Adviser & In-Charge on 31st October 2022. All the officials attended the event and
took the oath of the National Unity Pledge.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
2. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, CHENNAI
The Branch Secretariat, Chennai has jurisdiction over the States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala
and the Union Territory of Puducherry in rendering legal advice and handling litigations
of various Central Government Departments/offices located in the region. It is headed by
an Assistant Legal Adviser who is functioning as In-charge.

Figure XVI-5:
Branch Secretariat, Chennai

2.1 ADVICE
The Branch Secretariat renders legal advice to all Central Government Offices located in
the States within its jurisdiction. 956 references were received for advice, which
were disposed.

2.2 SUPERVISING LITIGATION

The Branch Secretariat looks after the litigation work of Central Government (except
cases relating to Income-Tax, Central Excise and Customs, etc.) in the High Court of
Madras (including the Madurai Bench) and High Court of Kerala. It also looks after
the litigation work of Central Government Departments/offices in the District Courts,
Tribunals, Consumer Fora, etc. in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Besides, the Branch Secretariat
has also been entrusted with the work of Central Government litigation before the
Madras Bench of Central Administrative Tribunal at Chennai and Ernakulam Bench of
Central Administrative Tribunal in Kerala. 6286 litigation matters were received including
litigation receipts, fee bills sand files opened for cases of High Court/CAT/LC etc.
The Branch Secretariat keeps the Ministries/Departments of the Central Government
informed about the important developments of their cases as well as the outcome of the
litigation and provides suitable advice for further course of action, whenever necessary.
Pleadings, affidavits etc., to be filed in the Courts/ Tribunals / Consumer Fora / Arbitration

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 matters in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are scrutinized and vetted at the draft stage. Functions of
Branch Secretariat also include engagement / nominations of the Counsel and collection
of inputs from the Central Government Departments involved in the cases for forwarding
to the Counsel after necessary scrutiny of the documents from a legal angle.

2.3. FEE BILLS OF COUNSELS

The Branch Secretariat makes payment of professional fees to the Additional Solicitor
General of India, Assistant Solicitor General, Senior Panel Counsel and the Central
Government Standing Counsel directly from funds allocated to it, in respect of cases
before the Madras High Court (including Madurai Bench). 2384 fee bills pertaining to
High Court, CAT and Lower Court were processed, whereby a total of ₹4,30,92,159/-
was paid to Counsels including payment towards Retainer Fees.

2.4 OBSERVANCE OF ‘INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA’ ON

21ST JUNE, 2022
A demonstration session of one hour was conducted on 21.06.2022 by a yoga instructor
in light of the Yoga Day celebrations in order to enlighten the Officers and officials about
the multiple physical and mental health benefits of yoga.

2.5 OBSERVANCE OF ‘HINDI PAKHWADA’ IN SEPTEMBER 2022

The Hindi Pakhwada was observed in the month of September, 2022 in order to encourage
the usage of Hindi in day-to-day official work. Various competitions were conducted
under the guidance of Deputy Director, Hindi Teaching Scheme, Chennai. All Officers
of Branch Secretariat participated in these competitions. During the prize distribution
function, In-Charge, Branch Secretariat and the Deputy Director, Hindi Teaching Scheme
provided valuable suggestions to improve usage of Hindi in day-to-day official work.

2.6 OBSERVANCE OF ‘VIGILANCE AWARENESS WEEK

According to the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission, the ‘Vigilance
Awareness Week’ with the theme “Corruption free India for a developed Nation” was
observed in the Branch Secretariat, Chennai from 31st October to 6th November, 2022.
The ‘Integrity Pledge’ oath was administered to all officials of the Branch Secretariat by
the In-charge on 31st October, 2022.

2.7 ‘SWACHCHA BHARAT’ MISSION

The Assistant Legal Adviser and In charge of this Branch Secretariat has been periodically
monitoring and inspecting the cleanliness activities of the office. In view of the Covid-19
pandemic, cleanliness of office premises, hand sanitization, wearing masks, social
distancing are given high priority.

2.8 RETAINER FEES

Out of the allotted funds, the Branch Secretariat has been entrusted with the job of
making payment of the Retainer Fee to the Standing Government Counsel of District
Courts in Tamil Nadu. During the above period, an amount of ₹ 27,90,000/- was paid
towards Retainer Fees.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
2.9 IMPLEMENTATION OF E-OFFICE
This Office initiated correspondence with NIC and BSNL, Chennai for the provision of
necessary prerequisites towards the implementation of e-Office in this Branch Secretariat.
E-payment of all bills including fee bills is being made directly credited to the concerned
Counsel. Further, necessary modifications have been incorporated in the ‘Litcase’
software under the guidance of concerned NIC personnel, so that information related to
Fee Bill receipts and their disposal is duly updated.

2.10 CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATION

On 25th November, 2022, the Constitution Day was observed wherein the Officers/
officials read the Preamble to the Constitution. The officials also participated in the
Constitution Day Quiz on the website of Department of Legal Affairs.

3. BRANCH SECRETARIAT, KOLKATA

The Branch Secretariat, Kolkata has jurisdiction over the States of West Bengal, Nagaland,
Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim, Orissa,
Assam, Bihar and Andaman and Nicobar in handling litigation and advice of various
Central Government Departments/ offices located in the region. It is headed by an
Additional Government Advocate who is functioning as In-charge.

Figure XVI-6:
Branch Secretariat, Kolkata

3.1 ADVICE
The Branch Secretariat, Kolkata renders legal advice to various Ministries/Departments
within its jurisdiction. However, Central Government Ministries/Departments located
outside the jurisdiction of Branch Secretariat, Kolkata also approach Branch Secretariat
for advice in matters pertaining to Court cases within the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata’s
jurisdiction. A total of 1658 references were received for advice.

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 3.2 SUPERVISION OF LITIGATION
The Branch Secretariat, Kolkata looks after the litigation matters pertaining to different
Ministries/Departments of the Central Government in the High Court at Calcutta, Circuit
Benches at Port Blair and Jalpaiguri and also various Tribunals, District Forums, State
Commission and District Courts located in 12 States and 1 Union Territory. The Branch
Secretariat also monitors cases before other High Courts whenever a Ministry/Department
approaches the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata.
9536 cases were received by the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata pertaining to High
Court at Calcutta from different Ministries/Departments, Autonomous bodies etc. 741
references were received pertaining to National Company Law Tribunal, Kolkata Bench.
3986 cases were received for the engagement of Counsels for the matters pertaining to
CAT, Kolkata and Circuit Benches at Port Blair and Jalpaiguri. 1513 cases were received
for engagement of Counsels in RCT, Industrial Tribunal, CESTAT, Consumer Commission
and District Courts including arbitration cases.

3.3 FEE BILLS OF COUNSELS

The claims submitted by the Panel Counsels have been processed proportionately out of
the sanctioned budget estimates for the payment of Professional Fees and Retainership
Fees for the State of West Bengal.

3.4 RTI APPLICATIONS

Branch Secretariat, Kolkata has designated Assistant Legal Adviser as CPIO and
Additional Government Advocate/In-charge as the First Appellate Authority under the
RTI Act, 2005. 48 RTI applications and 2 first appeals were received.

3.5 BUDGET AND ACCOUNTS

The Budget and Accounts related work in the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata are being done
online using the portal-based payment system ‘PFMS’ developed by NIC. All payments to
employees, Government Counsels, and other service providers are being made online
through the PFMS portal. Periodical reports are directly submitted to Pay and Accounts
Office and other Public Authorities online. For procurement of Goods, Stationeries, and
other Services, the Government e-procurement website https://gem.gov.in is being used
extensively for direct procurement as well as procurement through bids. Pension matters
are being processed through the ‘Bhavishya’ online portal.

3.6 LIBRARY AND RESEARCH

The Library of the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata houses approximately 10800 books and
journals which are used for reference in Litigation and legal advice. Online Journals
‘Manupatra’ and ‘SCC Online’ are also subscribed by this Branch Secretariat.

3.7 AUDIT
The last audit of the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata was conducted by an Audit Party from
the Office of the Director General of Audit Central, Kolkata with effect from 05.05.2022
to 13.05.2022. During the course of the periodical inspection of accounts by the Audit
Party, five objections were raised by the Audit Party. Action is in progress to settle the
paras of audit objection. Since the action on the outstanding six audit objections made
by the Audit Party during the audit from 01.04.2016 to 31.03.2018, was completed hence,
the present audit party dropped the said objection.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Table XVI-1:
Details of settled Audit Objections during 01.04.2016 to 31.03.2018
for the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata
Sl. No. Paras/Queries up to Subject in brief (3) Action taken for set-
(1) 31.03.2018 (2) tling the paras as in
Col.2 (4)
1 Para 2.1 of Audit Observation on implementa- Action taken and para
Report tion of LIMBS dropped by Audit
2 Para 2.2. of Audit Irregularity in tendering of Action taken and para
Report Security Services dropped by Audit
3 Para 2.3 of Audit Observation on outsourcing Action taken and para
Report of services dropped by Audit
4 Para 2.4(i) of Audit Observation maintenance of Action taken and para
Report Assets- Physical verification dropped by Audit
of fixed assets
Para 2(4)(ii) of Audit No requisite certification on Action taken and para
Report paid vouchers dropped by Audit
5 Para 2.1 of Audit Irregularities in payment Action taken and para
Report towards Journey by owned/ dropped by Audit
Arranged/Private Vehicle
amounting to 0.33 lakh
6 Para 2.2. of Audit Short deduction of Licence Action taken and para
Report Fee amounting to 0.06 lakhs dropped by Audit
Table XVI-2:
Details of outstanding Audit Objections during 01.04.2018 to 30.04.2022
for the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata
Sl. No. Paras/Queries up to Subject in brief Action taken for set-
(1) 30.04.2022 (3) tling the paras as in
(2) Col.2
(4)
1 Para 2.1 of Audit Avoidable expenditure on Intimated to concerned
Report Electricity Duty amounting Authority and audit will
`0.56 lakh be intimated whenever
reply is received
2 Para 2.2 of Audit Non-conduction of physical Necessary action taken
Report verification of Stock Register and audit will be intimat-
and Accession Register ed in due course
3 Para 2.3 of Audit Rush of Expenditure in the Necessary action taken
Report month of March and last and audit will be intimat-
quarter of Financial year ed in due course

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 Sl. No. Paras/Queries up to Subject Action taken for
(1) 30.04.2022 in brief settling the paras as
(2) (3) in Col.2 (4)
4 Para 2.4 of Audit Observation on Bill Register Necessary action
Report taken and audit will be
intimated in due course
5 Para 2.5 of Audit Non-disposal of Necessary action
Report unserviceable vehicle taken and audit will be
intimated in due course

3.8 FUNCTIONING OF THE LIMBS PORTAL

The ‘LIMBS’ portal is functional in the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata w.e.f. 1st January, 2022.
Training was organised in April, 2022 for the employees and the Panel Counsels. The
Panel Counsels have registered themselves on the LIMBS portal to enable them to upload
the Court orders and fee bills. Instructions have also been issued to different Ministries/
Departments to upload the case details on the LIMBS portal and mention the LIMBS ID in
the references made to the Branch Secretariat, Kolkata.
A total of 4844 number of bills were received through LIMBS portal from Panel Counsels.

3.9 EVENTS
 Observation of Hindi Month: Hindi workshops and quarterly meetings of Rajbhasha
Coordination Committee were organised. Employees have obtained working
knowledge of Hindi under the Hindi Teaching Scheme. Reference notes have been
prepared and distributed among Sections for doing regular office work in Hindi. ‘Hindi
Pakhwada’ was observed in the Branch Secretariat from 14th to 29th September,
2022. The theme of this year’s ‘Hindi Pakhwada’ was Þi<+uk gS] i<+kuk gSA lcdks fl[kkuk gS]
fgUnh Hkk"kk dks vkxs c<+kuk gSß ‘Hindi Diwas’ was also celebrated on 14th September, 2022,
which was attended by the Head of Office and Junior Translation Officer of this office
at Surat. Various steps are being taken for implementation and propagation of Hindi
in the day to day functioning of the Branch Secretariat.

 SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 2.0/ SWACHHATA PAKHWADA: 2203 files have been reviewed
for weeding out during the Special Campaign 2.0 conducted from 2.10.2022 to
16.10.2022, according to the guidelines of the Department of Administrative Reforms
and Public Grievances in this regard. Also, ‘Swachhata Pakhwada’ was organised in the
Branch Secretariat during 1st April, 2022 to 15th April, 2022. Oath of the ‘Swachchta
Pledge’ was taken by the employees on 1st April, 2022.

 Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) on 29th April, 2022 with active participation of
the employees was observed. Also, International Yoga Day was observed on
21st June, 2022.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XVI-7:
Employees during practice of common yoga Protocol on 29th April 2022

Figure XVI-8:
Employees performing yoga during International Yoga Day
on 21st June 2022

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  ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’ was observed between 31st October, 2022 and 6th
November, 2022. Integrity Pledge on ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’ was administered
by Incharge, Branch Secretariat, Kolkata.

Figure XVI-9:
Integrity Pledge being administered by In-Charge, Branch Secretariat,
Kolkata on 31st October 2022

 ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ was observed on 31st October, 2022 to commemorate the
Birth Anniversary of Sardar Ballavbhai Patel. ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Pledge’ was read
by the employees.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Figure XVI-10:
Employees being administered ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Pledge’
by the Incharge of Branch Secretariat

 ‘Constitution Day’ was observed on 25th November 2022 wherein the employees
read the Preamble to the Constitution. The employees participated in the Constitution
Day Quiz on the website of Department of Legal Affairs.

4.BRANCH SECRETARIAT, MUMBAI

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai has jurisdiction over States of Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa and Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar
Haveli and Daman and Diu in rendering legal advice and handling of litigation of
various Central Government Departments/Ministries located in the region. The Branch
Secretariat, Mumbai is presently headed by the Senior Government Advocate, Shri A.A.
Ansari as the In-charge.

Figure XVI-11:
Branch Secretariat, Mumbai

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 4.1 ADVICE
The Branch Secretariat renders legal advice to all the Central Government Departments/
offices located in the States within its jurisdiction. If required, the advice matters are also
referred to the Additional Solicitor General of India for his expert opinion. The Branch
Secretariat received 3602 reference seeking advice.

4.2 SUPERVISION OF LITIGATION

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai handles the litigation matters pertaining to Central
Government Ministries/Departments in Bombay High Court and District Courts. The
Branch Secretariat received 1925 litigation matters.

4.3 RAILWAY MATTERS

The procedure to be followed for the engagement of Counsels for Ministry of Railways
for various High Courts and District Courts was reviewed by the Department. Hereafter,
the cases on behalf of Ministry of Railways will be defended by the Counsels empanelled
by the Department of Legal Affairs. 1015 Railways matters were received and attended
to by the Branch Secretariat.

4.4 ADMINISTRATION
The Senior Government Advocate and In-charge is the head of the Administration of the
Branch Secretariat, Mumbai. He is assisted by DDO and Section Officer in handling the
day-to-day administrative matters of the Branch Secretariat.

The budget and accounts work in this Branch Secretariat is done online using various
software and the “PFMS” portal. All payments are done through PFMS Portal. GeM is
used for procurement of goods, stationeries and other services. Pension cases are also
processed through “Bhavishya” online portal.

4.5 LIBRARY
The Mumbai Branch Secretariat has a library containing more than 14475 books. This
library proves to be very useful for the Officers and staff while tendering advice and
also in litigation matters. The books related to various subjects i.e. various journals, law
books, Swamy Handbook, MoP etc. are regularly purchased for the use of Officers and
staff. During the year, 260 books and 248 Bare Acts were purchased. The Library in this
Branch Secretariat subscribes to 20 journals.

4.6 PROGRESSIVE USE OF HINDI AND HINDI PAKHWADA

A ‘Rajbhasha Samiti’ has been constituted in the Branch Secretariat which submits
periodical reports to the In-charge on the progressive use of Hindi language. Various
statements and forms viz. leave forms, joining report etc. have been made bi-lingual.
Hindi Pakhwada and Hindi Diwas was organized in the month of September, 2022. A
number of events and competitions were conducted for promotion of Hindi language.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
4.7 RTI MATTERS
The Senior Government Advocate has been designated as First Appellate Authority,
Assistant Legal Adviser as the CPIO and one Superintendent as CAPIO.
The applications received under RTI Act are disposed of by this Branch Secretariat
within the stipulated period. In case the applicant is not satisfied with the information
provided by the CPIO, one may file an appeal and the same is suitably dealt with by the
Appellate Authority. This year this Branch Secretariat received 35 RTI Applications. It
also received one Appeal and one Second Appeal.

4.8 FEE BILLS OF COUNSELS

The Mumbai Branch Secretariat itself makes payment of professional fees directly from
its funds to the Additional Solicitor General of India, Deputy Solicitor General, Senior
Panel Counsel and Central Government Standing Counsel in respect of cases before the
Bombay High Court and its benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa. ₹2,23,94,125/- was
paid to Counsels.

4.9 CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S DAY

Women’s Day was celebrated in the Branch Secretariat where the women employees
were felicitated and speeches were delivered by the Officers on this occasion.

4.10 CELEBRATION OF 8TH INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA

DURING AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV
Ministry of Law & Justice was allotted 29th April, 2022 for practicing the Common Yoga
Protocol (CYP) for conducting yoga related activities. Accordingly, the activity was given
wide publicity and the staff performed yoga, along with their families.
The 8th International Yoga Day was observed on 21st June, 2022 with “Yoga for Humanity”
theme. Shri Sanjay Gurvekar, Yoga Teacher was invited to guide and teach yoga to the
Officers and staff of this Branch Secretariat. All the Officers and staff members actively
participated in the Yoga activity.

4.11 LIMBS TRAINING PROGRAMME

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai organized a Training Programme on the Advocate Module
and Litigation Module from 5th to 6th May, 2022 for the Officers of Branch Secretariat,
Mumbai and also for Officers of Central Railway, Western Railway, etc. since the Branch
Secretariat, Mumbai started conducting a huge number of Litigation pertaining to Railways
before the Bombay High Court and its Subordinate Courts including Tribunals, etc.

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 4.12 INTERNSHIP OF LAW STUDENTS
The internship programme was started by the Department of Legal Affairs for young law
students. Accordingly, this Branch Secretariat accepts interns every month as nominated
by the Main Secretariat and provides them training since June, 2022.

4.13 WORKSHOP ON DEPARTMENTAL ENQUIRIES/COURT CASES

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai deputes Officers to various organizations to impart
training on various legal subjects. Shri K. Santosh Ramanna, Asst. LA and Shri N.A.
Pande, Supdt. were deputed at CISF to address a session on Departmental Enquiries/
Court Cases held from 20th-23rd September, 2022.

4.14 ‘SWACHCHA BHARAT’ MISSION/ SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 2.0

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai undertakes the activity of weeding out of records from
time to time, under the Swachhta Mission. During the month of October, 2022, 3137 files
were identified, reviewed and weeded out.

4.15 VIGILANCE AWARENESS WEEK

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai observed Vigilance Awareness Week. The ‘Integrity
Pledge’ was administered by the In-charge on 31st October 2022. All the Officers
attended the event and took the oath of Integrity.

4.16 CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATION

The Branch Secretariat, Mumbai celebrated Constitution Day on 25th November 2022
where Officers attended lectures delivered by the senior Officers.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XVII: INTERNATIONAL LAW

AND COOPERATION SECTION

G
lobalization has brought a radical change in the economic and social landscape of
India. In the last seven decades, national and international legal policies and rules
concerning trade and investments have changed. International investment and its
varieties have also undergone substantial transformation in its magnitude and content.
The advent of globalization and the enormous advances made in communication and
information technology have rendered countries interdependent.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION
 BIPAs1/BITs2/CEPA3/CECA4
BIPAs/BITs/CEPA/CECA are agreements laying down the methodology of dispute
resolution between foreign investors and the Government of India within the
framework of our domestic laws.

 DISPUTE RESOLUTION CLAUSES IN BIT/CECA

1. Dispute resolution clauses in BITs provide mechanism for resolution of disputes
between the foreign investor and the host State, arising either under the BIT or under
any investment agreement between the investor and host State – the breach of which
rises to the level of treaty violation.
2. Under a BIT the investor is given direct standing to pursue his own claim against the
host State of investment in respect of any “investment dispute”.
3. The Arbitration provision in the BIT can amount to a standing offer to investors to
arbitrate, and acceptance of this standing offer to arbitrate by an investor gives rise to
a binding arbitration agreement between the investor on the one hand and the host
State on the other.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
The Department of Legal Affairs participated in the following events and negotiations:
1. Review of the FTA/CECA signed between India and Korea during 3-4 November, 2022
at Seoul, South Korea.
2. Evidentiary hearing at London during 14-15 November, 2022 at London in the matter
of GPIX v. Union of India and assisted counsels.
1
Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPAs)
2
Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs)
3
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
4
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

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 3. India-EU FTA Negotiations at Vanijya Bhawan during 5-8 December, 2022.
4. India-Canada FTA Negotiations (virtually) during 28-30 November, 2022.
5. India-Russia BIT Negotiations (virtually) on 12 November, 2022.
6. India-Australia FRA Negotiations (virtually) on 16 February, 2022.
7. India-UK FTA Negotiations (virtually) during 25 - 30 July, 2022 and Inter-Session
meeting (virtually) during 31 August-1 September, 2022.
8. India-UAE BIT Negotiations (virtually) on 10 February, 2022, 18 April, 2022 and
1 June, 2022.
9. India-Uzbekistan BIT discussion (virtually) on 12 January, 2022.
10. India-South Africa BIT discussion (virtually) on 19 January, 2022.

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION (SCO)

BACKGROUND
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an eight-member multilateral
organization, established on 15 June 2001 at Shanghai, China by the leaders of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian
Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
SCO has two Permanent Bodies - (i) SCO Secretariat in Beijing and (ii) Executive
Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. The Chairmanship
of SCO is by rotation for a year by Member States.

The official working languages of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are Chinese
and Russian.

DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS AND SCO

The senior officials / experts from the Ministry of Law & Justice of India, Kazakhstan, China,
Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in
the three-day deliberations of the 9th Meeting of the Justice Ministers of SCO Member
States. The next meeting of the Ministers of Justice of the SCO Member States will be
held in 2023 in the People's Republic of China.

9TH MEETING OF THE JUSTICE MINISTERS OF SCO MEMBER STATES

The 9th Meeting of the Ministers of Justice of SCO Member States was held on 9 December
2022 through video conferencing mode which was preceded by the third Experts
Group Meeting on 7 December 2022. The first and second Experts Group Meeting for
preparation of the 9th Justice Ministers meeting was held on 20-21 June 2022 and 19-20
July 2022 respectively. This Department had represented the 9th SCO Justice Ministers
meeting at the level of the Minister of Law & Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju. The details of the
Indian delegation led by the Minister of Law and Justice are as under:-

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
(i) Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law and Justice;
(ii) Dr. Niten Chandra, Law Secretary;
(iii) Shri R.S. Verma, Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs;
(iv) Dr. S.K. Jain, Director cum-Chief Forensic Scientist, Directorate of Forensic
Science Services.
(v) Prof. (Dr.) S.O. Junare, Campus Director, National Forensic Sciences University,
Delhi Campus.

Prosecutors General meeting of SCO Member States

As part of various forms of discussion within the multilateral framework of the SCO, the
meeting of the Prosecutors General of SCO Member States is held every year. The forum
is, inter alia, utilized by the SCO Member States to discuss and exchange experiences
in the Prosecutors Office of the SCO Member States, modern practices and effective
mechanisms for countering and combating corruption. In the past, after becoming a full
member, India participated in the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th meeting of the Prosecutors
General during 2017-2022.

The 20th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) Member States was held on 23 September 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Indian
Delegation attended the meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan virtually under the leadership of:-
(i) Shri Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, Department of Legal Affairs.
(ii) Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs.

Figure XVII-1: Shri. Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, Department of Legal
Affairs and Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs
attended the meeting from the Indian side

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 FOREIGN VISITS/ VIDEO CONFERENCING INTERACTIONS
Foreign visits by the Minister of Law and Justice, Officials of the Department of Legal
Affairs and Law Officers were undertaken to promote friendly relations with foreign
nations and to discharge official responsibilities in foreign countries. The details of the
foreign visits are given below:-

Table XVII-1:
Details of Foreign Visits undertaken by the Minister of Law and Justice and
Officials of the Department of Legal Affairs and Law Officers

Name and
S.No. Country Name Purpose of visit and duration.
Designation

For Exposition of Lord Buddha Relics at

Mongolia Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Mongolia from 13th
to 15th June, 2022.

To attend the Conference on “Arbitrating Indo-UK

Shri Kiren Rijiju, London,
Commercial Disputes” and to deliver a special
1. Minister of Law and United
address on the topic of the Conference from 4th to
Justice Kingdom
5th July, 2022.

Through To attend the 9th Meeting of Ministers of Justice of

video- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing States on 9th December 2022.

Dr. Reeta Vasishta, Through To attend the round table organized by the
2 Secretary, then Law video- Prosecutors General Office of the Russian
Secretary conferencing Federation on 14th April, 2022

To attend the 20th Meeting of Prosecutors General

Through
of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
video-
Member States on
conferencing
Shri Tushar Mehta, 23rd September, 2022
3
Solicitor General of India
To attend the Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic
Geneva,
Review of India, 2022 from
Switzerland
8th to 11th November, 2022

At the
Sh. Suryaprakash V. residence of Meeting between Russian Deputy Prosecutor
4 Raju, Additional Solicitor Additional General and Additional Solicitor General for India
General Solicitor on 22 October, 2022
General

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

Shri K.M. Nataraj, To attend the Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic
Geneva,
5. Additional Solicitor Review of India, 2022 from 8th to 11th November,
Switzerland
General of India 2022

To attend the First Experts Group meeting on

Through
preparation of 9th Justice Ministers’ Meeting of
video-
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing
States on 20-21 June, 2022

To attend the Second Experts Group meeting on

Through
Sh. Rajveer Singh preparation of 9th Justice Ministers Meeting of
video-
6 Verma, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing
Additional Secretary States on 19-20 July, 2022

To attend the third Experts Group meeting on

Through preparation of 9th Justice Ministers Meeting of
video- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing States and 9th Justice Minister Meeting from 7th to
9th December, 2022

To attend the 13th Leaders in Governance (LGP)

Dr. Rajiv Mani, Additional
7. Singapore Programme from 22nd to
Secretary
26th August, 2022.

Through To attend the round table organised by the

video- Prosecutors General Office of the Russian
conferencing Federation on 14 April 2022

To attend the First Experts Group meeting on

Through preparation of 20th Prosecutors General Meeting of
video- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing States on
8 September 2022
Dr. Anju Rathi Rana,
8
Additional Secretary To attend the Second Experts Group meeting on
Through preparation of 20th Prosecutors General Meeting of
video- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing States on
13 September 2022

To attend the 20th Meeting of Prosecutors General

Through
of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
video-
Member States on
conferencing
23 September 2022

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 dic To attend the First Experts Group meeting on
Through
er, preparation of 9th Justice Ministers’ Meeting of
video-
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing
Sh. Mahendra States on 20-21 June, 2022
9 Khandelwal, Senior
f Government Advocate To attend the Second Experts Group meeting on
Through
ber preparation of 9th Justice Ministers’ Meeting of
video-
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member
conferencing
States on 19-20 July, 2022
n
Shri Vijay Kumar Sharma, To attend the Senior Officials & Commonwealth Law
Balaclava,
er 10. Joint Secretary and Legal Ministers’ Meeting (CLMM), 2022 from 22nd to
Mauritius
Adviser 25th November, 2022

To attend the 43rd Session of United Nation

Through Commission on International Trade Law
ber video- (UNCITRAL) Working Group III on Investor State
to conferencing Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform from 5-16
September, 2022

) To attend the 76th Session of Working Group

Through
II (Dispute Settlement) of the United Nation
video-
Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
conferencing
Dr. R.J.R. Kasibhatla, from 10-14 October, 2022
11.
Additional Legal Adviser
To attend the 9th Round Negotiations with Korea
for upgradation of India-Korea Comprehensive
Seoul, South
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
Korea
scheduled held at Seoul, South Korea
from 3rd to 4th November, 2022.
g of
ber
To attend the International Arbitration between
London, UK GPIX LLC vs The Republic of India - Main Evidentiary
hearing from 14th to 25th November, 2022.
n
g of Shri Sachin Vasant
To attend the Conference on “Arbitrating Indo-UK
ber 12. Shinde, P.S. to Minister of London, UK
Commercial Disputes” from 4th to 5th July, 2022.
Law and Justice

ral

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
42nd Session of United Nation Commission on
Through
International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group
video-
III on Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)
conferencing
Reform on 9 February 2022.
Sh. Japan Babu,
13
Additional Legal Adviser
To attend the 75th Session of Working Group-
New York, II (Dispute Settlement) of the United Nations
USA Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
in New York, USA from 29 March to 1 April, 2022.

To attend the Senior Officials and Commonwealth

Shri Aprit Anant Mishra, Balaclava,
14. Law Ministers’ Meeting (CLMM), 2022 from 22nd to
Deputy Legal Adviser Mauritius
25th November, 2022

Shri Manish Malhotra, To attend the Fourth Cycle of the Universal

Geneva,
15. P.P.S to Solicitor General Periodic Review of India, 2022 from
Switzerland
of India 8th to 11th November, 2022

Shri Dejir Zirdo, Assistant For Exposition of Lord Buddha Relics at

16. P.S. to Minister of Law Mongolia Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Mongolia from 13th
and Justice to 15th June, 2022.

To attend the Korea Western Power Company Ltd.

Sh. Vijay Kumar Sharma,
(KOWEPO) Arbitration Case hearing from
17. Joint Secretary & Legal Singapore
16th to 20th January, 2023
Adviser

Singapore To attend the Korea Western Power Company Ltd.

(KOWEPO) Arbitration Case hearing from
16th to 20th January, 2023

Dr. R.J.R. Kasibhatla, Paris, France To attend the meeting of the Task Force on Digital
18.
Additional Legal Adviser Economy from 27th Feb-1st March, 2023.

To attend the 4th round of India-EU

Brussels,
Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) from
Belgium
20th to 24th March, 2023

To attend the 77th Session of Working Group-

II (Dispute Settlement) of the United Nations
Sh. Avnit Singh Arora, New York,
19 Commission on International Trade Law
Director USA
(UNCITRAL) scheduled to be held from
6th to 10th February, 2023.

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 MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TREATIES (MLATs)
According to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, the Department
of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice is entrusted with the subject of reciprocal
arrangements with foreign countries for the service of summons in civil suits, for the
execution of decrees of civil courts, for the enforcement of maintenance orders, etc.

The Department of Legal Affairs, being the nodal Department, enters into Mutual Legal
Assistance Treaties (MLATs) in Civil and Commercial matters with foreign countries.

Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Civil and Commercial matters is a comprehensive

agreement for reciprocal arrangements with foreign countries for service of summons
under clause (c) of section 29 of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC), for execution of
decrees under section 44A of CPC, for issuing letters of request under section 77 of CPC,
for taking evidence under section 78 of CPC, and for enforcement of arbitral awards
under clause (b) of section 44 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties in civil and commercial matters with the Republic
of Bulgaria and the Islamic Republic of Iran were ratified on 29.07.2022 and 18.10.2022
respectively.

SERVICE OF SUMMONS UNDER HAGUE CONVENTION

India is a signatory to the Hague Convention, 1965, under which the Department of
Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice is the Central Authority for serving of summons
abroad, issued by Judicial Authorities in India, or serving of summons issued by Judicial
Authorities abroad, in India. 3,627 requests arising out of bilateral treaties in respect of
service of summons were processed.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

XVIII: ACHIEVEMENTS
AND MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

MONITORING AND EVALUATION SECTION SETUP

I
n order to assess progress made and to identify bottlenecks in implementation,
the Department of Legal Affairs set up a Monitoring and Evaluation Section. The
Section aids decision-making towards achieving planned goals in a structured
manner. The aim of this Section is to systematically ensure that relevant progress
and performance information is collected, processed and any deviation or shortfall is
analyzed on a regular basis to allow for real-time, evidence-based decision-making
and to achieve targets in a time-bound manner.

SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 2.0

A Special Campaign on Disposal of Pending References and Cleanliness was launched
in 2021 across Government Departments and Ministries. Following its success, the
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances organised Special
Campaign 2.0 on Swachhta in Central Government Ministries and Departments from 2nd
October 2022 to 31st October 2022. The Department of Legal Affairs conducted various
activities as part of the Special Campaign 2.0 on Swachhta across its premises located at
Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. During the preparatory phase from 14th to 30th September
2022, targets were identified for the campaign period. The campaign achieved efficient
space management and enhancement of workplace experience in offices under the
Department and reduced pendency.

During the Special Campaign 2.0 on Swachhta, the Department focussed on efficient
handling of pending references, parliamentary assurances, public complaints, record
management, Swachhta/Cleanliness Drive, disposal of scrap, and weeding out of obsolete
files. Special drives to promote the ideals of ‘Swachhta’ were carried out by designating
11 specific spots, including the Notary Cell, Central Agency Section, Tis-Hazari, Litigation
Section (High Court), four Branch Secretariats, Law Commission of India, and NDIAC.

Adhering to Digital India's best practices, the Department of Legal Affairs successfully
reviewed physical as well as e-files to ensure efficient record management. 27,927 files
have been scanned under the Special Campaign 2.0.

To improve service delivery system, 2,719 Public Grievances and Appeals were
redressed. As part of the Special Campaign 2.0, 2500 sq. ft. space was freed. For
paperless management, e-Office 7.0 was implemented.

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 Table XVIII-1
Achievements under Special Campaign 2.0

S. NO. CATEGORY SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 2.0

1 Swachhta Campaign Sites 11

Records Management Files Reviewed

2 27,927
(Physical files + e-files)

3 Public Grievances + Appeals Redressed 2719

4 Revenue Earned ₹ 1,38,960

5 Space Freed (square feet) 2500 square feet

6 MP’s References 7

7 IMC References (Cabinet Proposals) 141

8 State Government References NIL

9 PMO ID’s 02

10 Easing of Rules/ Processes 01

January
11 Pending Parliamentary Assurances December 2022
2022

Lok Sabha 42 07

Rajya Sabha 33 08

Total 75 15

Cleanliness drive was initiated in the library of Department of Legal Affairs by Library
and Research Section with the help of Young Professionals and Law Interns. It was
successfully concluded with weeding out of 15000 old books not in use and 22 dilapidated
racks resulting in creation of vacant space.

In the Central Agency Section, old records were identified and 21,865 kg of waste
paper, 3860 kg of iron scrap and 2900 kg of gatta were weeded out which resulted in
creation of extra space of 4500 sq. ft. ₹13,67,430 was contributed to the Government
exchequer by sale of scrap and waste paper.

Pictures, and a short film on the initiatives undertaken by the Department during
the Special Campaign 2.0 were posted on all social media handles under the hashtag
#SpecialCampaign2.0.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XVIII-1:
Swachhata Campaign at Library, Department of
Legal Affairs

Figure XVIII-2: Digitisation of Records

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 GeM – GOVERNMENT e-MARKETPLACE
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is hosted by the Directorate General of Supplies
and Disposals (DGS&D) where common user goods and services can be procured.
GeM is a dynamic, self-sustaining and user-friendly portal for making procurement by
Government Officers.

Public procurement forms a very important part of Government activity and reform in
Public Procurement is one of the top priorities of the Government. GeM transforms the
way in which procurement of goods and services is done by the Government Ministries
and Departments, Public Sector Undertakings and other apex autonomous bodies of the
Central Government.

DGS&D with technical support of National e-Governance Division (Ministry of

Electronics and Information Technology) developed GeM portal for procurement of both
products and services. The portal was launched on 9th August 2016 by the Commerce &
Industry Minister. Procurement on GeM has been authorized by General Financial Rules
by making necessary changes in government Rules. Presently, more than 7400 products
in about 150 product categories and hiring of transport services are available on GeM
POC portal. Transactions for ₹ 140 crores have already been processed through GeM.

GeM is a paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables
procurement of common use goods and services

The Department of Legal Affairs switched to this paperless, cashless E-Market place i.e.
the GeM Portal from this year, for procurement of all products, goods and services with
minimal human interface. It is an initiative by the Department towards more transparency
and accountability in its procurement function.

Out of the blocked amount of Budget for the financial year 2022-23 of ₹ 5,27,07,252;
the amount spent through Gem Portal is ₹5,09,94,587 and the balance amount of
blocked budget is ₹17,12,665.

Table XVIII-2:
Data for the Financial Year 2022-2023

S. NO. BUDGET AMOUNT (in ₹)

1. BLOCKED AMOUNT OF BUDGET 5,27,07,252

2. BALANCE AMOUNT OF BLOCKED BUDGET 17,12,665

3. AMOUNT SPENT THROUGH GeM PORTAL 5,09,94,587

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
The Department of Legal Affairs organises an Internship Programme for young law
students. The purpose of this internship is to acquaint them with the working of the
Department by providing training in the field of research and referencing work, tendering
legal advice in various specialised fields of law such as constitutional and administrative
law, finance law, infrastructure law, economic law, labour law, conveyancing, arbitration
and contract law etc. Indian students who are pursuing studies in 2nd and 3rd year of three-
year degree course and in 3rd to 5th year of five-year degree course or students who
have completed their LL.B. course from any recognised college/law school/university
are eligible for undertaking this internship. The duration of the internship is one month.

Honorarium: The interns are given an honorarium of ₹ 5000/- on completion of their

internship.

Table XVIII-3:
Number of Interns in 2022-2023

S. NO. MAIN SECRETARIAT AND BRANCH SECRETARIAT NO. OF INTERNS

1 Main Secretariat, Delhi 175

2 Branch Secretariat, Mumbai 18

3 Branch Secretariat, Chennai 17

4 Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru 18

5 Branch Secretariat, Kolkata 13

TOTAL 241

The Department of Legal Affairs, while offering internships, ensures that gender equality
is maintained

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 Figure XVIII-3:
Month wise gender representation of Interns at the Department of Legal Affairs
between June, 2022 and March, 2023
GENDER REPRESENTATION IN INTERNSHIPS

20 22 22
20 18
18
15 16

10 13 13 13
12 11 12 11
9 10
8
5
6 7
0
JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY MARCH

MALE FEMALE

The Department of Legal Affairs felicitates every batch of law students on the
successful completion of their internship at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.

Figure XVIII-4: Felicitation of Interns

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XVIII-5: Interns sharing their Internship experience at the
Department of Legal Affairs

Feedback received from the Interns at the Department of Legal Affairs, post successful
completion of their Internship: -

The Department of Legal Affairs, while hiring interns also ensures that equal opportunity
is given to law students from all the recognized Universities across the country. In the
last six months, students from various Universities have been a part of the Internship
Programme of the Department of Legal Affairs. Some of these are mentioned below:-

1. Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur

2. Banasthali Vidyapith University
3. Chanakya National Law University, Patna, Bihar
4. Christ University
5. Chandigarh University
6. Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam
7. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University Gorakhpur
8. Delhi University
9. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow
10. Faculty of Law, Lucknow University
11. Gujarat University
12. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
13. Himachal Pradesh National Law University
14. Himachal Pradesh University
15. Jhansi University
16. Kurukshetra University
17. Kalinga University
18. Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida

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 19. Lovely Professional University, Punjab
20. Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies, Rohini
21. Maharashtra National Law University
22. O.P. Jindal Global University
23. Osmania University College of Law
24. Prestige Institute of Management And Research (PIMR) Indore
25. Punjab University
26. Swami Vivekanand Subharti University
27. Symbiosis International University
28. Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad
29. Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur
30. University of Allahabad
31. UPES School of Law
32. Uttaranchal University
33. VIT School of Law, Chennai

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
The Department of Legal Affairs invites applications to the position of ‘Young Professionals’
on contract basis for providing professional services in specific spheres of law. The Young
Professionals are accorded the status of an independent Consultant. The Department
hired 29 Young Professionals.
Young Professionals work as an in-house talent pool and undertake research and
analysis work. They assisted the Department in the work of repeal of obsolete laws, and
amendment of pre-Independence laws. They helped in the organisation of the All India
Conference of Law Ministers and Law Secretaries held at Gujarat this year.

Figure XVIII 6:
Young Professionals'

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
XIX: EVENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE

SOCIAL MEDIA CELL

The Department of Legal Affairs has established a Social Media Cell w.e.f. 6th June,
2022 comprising the Officers of the Department and a Social Media Team consisting
of professionals engaged on a contract basis. The Social Media Cell is responsible for
dissemination of information about the Department of Legal Affairs and promoting its
activities and events on its various social media platforms. Social Media Cell works with
several Ministries/Departments of the Government of India for active mass engagement
in order to increase this Department's reach among the general public. Dr. Anju Rathi
Rana, Additional Secretary, serves as the Nodal Officer for the Social Media Cell, and
the Officers in-charge of running the Cell are Ms. Madhubala Soni, Under Secretary, Ms.
Preeti Wadhwa, Section Officer and Shri Alok Yadav, Assistant Section Officer.

Figure XIX 1: Social Media Cell

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED/ COORDINATED BY THE SOCIAL MEDIA CELL

1. International Yoga Day in the Dong Valley, Arunachal Pradesh | 21st June 2022
2. Participation at Digital India Week | 4th July - 6th July 2022
3. Launch of Notary Online Application Portal | 9th July 2022
4. Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign | 22nd July - 15th August 2022
5. COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsav | 5th August 2022
6. National Sports Day | 29th August 2022
7. Inauguration of FAB (Form for Appearance Bill) on the LIMBS Portal
17th September 2022

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 8. Inter Ministry, Bar and Bench Badminton Championship | 17th and 18th September 2022
9. Functions of Notaries | 20th September 2022
10. Income Tax Appellate Tribunal - Vacancies Applications | 21st September 2022
11. Cyber Security Tips | 21st and 26th September
12. Hindi Diwas and Hindi Pakhwada | 14th and 16th – 29th September 2022
13. 20th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization
23rd September 2022
14. Indo-UK Meet | 28th September 2022
15. Special Campaign 2.0 | 2nd – 31st October 2022
16. Attorney General for India | 7th October 2022
17. Notaries Online Interviews - Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat
12th and 21st October 2022
18. All India Law Ministers and Law Secretaries Conference | 15th – 16th October 2022
19. Ayurveda Day under Ayurveda @ 2047 – Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal | 23rd October 2022
20. Fit India Freedom Run | 29th October 2022
21. Vigilance Awareness Week | 31st October – 6th November 2022
22. National Unity Day | 31st October 2022
23. Cyber Jaagrookta Diwas | 7th – 18th November 2022
24. Minister of Law and Justice’ visit to Central Agency Section | 9th November 2022
25. Law Commission of India Appointment of Chairperson & Members
9th November 2022
26. Constitution Day Celebration | 26th November 2022
27. Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel’s meeting with
Mongolia Delegation | 19th November 2022
28. Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel’s at Rozgar Mela |
22nd November 2022
29. International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women | 25th November 2022
30. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)
Act, 2013 Campaign | 25th November – 10th December 2022
31. Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting | 30th November 2022
32. SCO Justice Ministers Meeting | 9th December 2022
33. International Human Rights Day | 10th December 2022
34. India-EU FTA Meeting | 13th December 2022
35. Celebration for International Year of Millets 2023 | 28th December 2022
36. National Girl Child Day | 24th January 2023
37. Republic Day | 26th January 2023
38. International Day Women & Girls in Science | 2nd February 2023
39. World Day of Social Justice | 20th February 2023
40. Simplification of Law (Orientation Meeting) | 23rd February 2023
41. Conference on Sustainable Development, Law Commission of India |
25th February 2023
42. National Science Day | 28th February 2023
43. Zero Discrimination Day | 1st March 2023
44. UK Delegation meeting with officers of the Department of Legal Affairs |
7th March 2023
45. 23rd Commonwealth Law Conference | 5th March - 9th March 2023
46. International Women’s Day | 8th March 2023
47. Har Ghar Dhyan Program | 15th March 2023

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
48. International Day of Forests - Photography Competition | 21 March 2023
49. Rashtrapati Bhavan Visit | 31 March 2023
50. Monthly Activity - Legal Interns Felicitation and Testimonials| July - December 2022

Social Media Cell raises awareness about the Department of Legal Affairs by utilizing
social media platforms i.e. Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Koo, Facebook and YouTube.
Activities range from social media posts covering international and national days of
importance, highlighting achievements and on going successful activities conducted
by DoLA, in addition to running informative campaigns for wider outreach.

Some of the campaigns and activities duly highlighted by the Social Media Cell include:

1. INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY | 21ST JUNE 2022

The staff of the Department of Legal Affairs participated in the International Yoga Day at
Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi in association with Art of Living, under which the participants
learnt the meaning of Yoga for Humanity, well-being and inner peace. Posters designed
by the Social Media Team were put up across Shastri Bhawan to highlight benefits of
Yoga in daily life. Online posts and videos were shared to spread the message of the
Department of Legal Affairs celebrating Yoga Day this year with the theme of Yoga
for Humanity; encouraging the audience to adopt Yoga in daily life. A pre-event was
organised for International Yoga Day in an association with Brahma Kumaris in which raj
yog for the mind was practiced on the theme of Yoga for Humanity.

Figure XIX-2: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at Dong Valley, Arunachal
Pradesh and Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at
Nainital, Uttarakhand on International Yoga Day

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 Figure XIX-3:
International Yoga Day at the Department of Legal Affairs

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
2. PARTICIPATION AT DIGITAL INDIA WEEK |
4TH JULY - 6TH JULY 2022
Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice participated in the Digital India
Week to showcase the digital initiatives for enhancing e-governance such as Notary
Online Application Portal (NOAP) and Legal Information Management and Briefing
System (LIMBS).

Figure XIX-4:
Digital India Week – NOAP and LIMBS

3. LAUNCH OF NOTARY ONLINE APPLICATION PORTAL

9TH JULY 2022
The recently launched Notary Online Application Portal is a user friendly software
that enables applicants to apply online. The application process is simpler, paperless,
saves time and money. It is an initiative for efficient delivery of Justice. It was showcased
at #IndiasTechade and highlighted on all social media handles of the Ministry.

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 Figure XIX-5:
Minister of Law and Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at the launch of the
Notary Online Application Portal

4. HAR GHAR TIRANGA CAMPAIGN 22ND JULY -

15TH AUGUST 2022
The Department of Legal Affairs, in its extended efforts to celebrate “Azadi Ka
Amrit Mahotsav”, also initiated “Har Ghar Tiranga” Campaign with an aim to infuse
the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the citizen and promote awareness about
our national flag. The Constitution of India provides right of freedom to the citizens
of India and guarantees individual rights that were considered vital by the framers
of the Constitution. In this context, Department of Legal Affairs organised following
competitions for wider participation of law students studying in Law Colleges / Institutes
of India in the following categories:
• Essay Competition on “Envisioning India @2047” in around 2500 words
• Debate on Constitutional Issues - Topic chosen by the students based on the
Constitution of India
• Posts on Social Media - Videos summarizing the “Landmark Judgments in India” -
Link of Video posted on social media
Social Media Posts over the course of entire campaign, a Podcast Series, Informative
posts and a Selfie Point at Shastri Bhawan were also part of the activities.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XIX-6:
Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign at the Department of Legal Affairs

5. COVID VACCINATION AMRIT MAHOTSAV | 5TH AUGUST 2022

Department of Legal Affairs steered a Co-Vid Vaccination Drive under the Azadi ka Amrit
Mahotsav at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi, in association with Ministry of Health and Family
elfare, to ensure booster dose #vaccination of the entire staff on time.

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 Figure XIX-7:
Co-Vid 19 Vaccination Drive at the Department of Legal Affairs, New Delhi

6. NATIONAL SPORTS DAY | 29TH AUGUST 2022

The Department of Legal Affairs organised a sporting event to celebrate National Sports
Day in the spirit of fitness and recreation. Central government employees participated in
the event at Shastri Bhawan to promote an inclusive and fit society.

Figure XIX-8:
National Sports Day at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
7. INAUGURATION OF FAB (FORM FOR APPEARANCE BILL) ON
THE LIMBS PORTAL | 17TH SEPTEMBER 2022
The Legal Information and Management Briefing System (LIMBS) constantly rolls out
new features and updates with a focus on improving governance. The Form for Appearance
Bill (FAB) is one such module that allows advocates to submit the bill online. The Minister
of Law and Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju and the Minister of State, Law and Justice, Professor
S.P. Singh Baghel inaugurated the Form for Appearance Bill (FAB) at the Union of India
Counsel (West Zone) Conference held on 17th-18th September 2022 at Udaipur.

Figure XIX-9: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju and Minister
of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at LIMBS-FAB
launch at Udaipur, Rajasthan

8. INTER MINISTRY BAR AND BENCH BADMINTON

CHAMPIONSHIP | 17TH AND 18TH SEPTEMBER 2022
Under the supervision of the Minister of Law & Justice, the Ministry of Law & Justice
supported the Inter Ministry Bar and Bench Badminton Championship at Thyagraj
Stadium, New Delhi.

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 Figure XIX-10: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at Inter
Ministry Bar and Bench Badminton Championship

9. FUNCTIONS OF NOTARIES | 20TH SEPTEMBER 2022

With the help of Social Media, important information about Notaries was disseminated
across all handles of the Ministry of Law & Justice. Notaries are the public officials
appointed by both the Central and the State governments to verify, authenticate, certify
or attest the execution of instruments.

Figure XIX-11: Functions of Notaries

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

10. INCOME TAX APPELLATE TRIBUNAL - VACANCIES

APPLICATIONS | 21ST SEPTEMBER 2022
Social Media became a platform to invite applications for vacancies in the Department of
Legal Affairs. The Department invited applications for the posts of Judicial and Accountant
Members, on all platforms of the Ministry of Law & Justice.

Figure XIX-12:
ITAT Online Application Portal

11. CYBER SECURITY TIPS | 21ST AND 26TH SEPTEMBER

In order to promote online safety and to sensitise citizens against any kind of cyber
attack, the Department of Legal Affairs posted on Cyber Security Tips on the Social
Media Handles.

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 Figure XIX-13:
Cyber Security Tips

12. HINDI DIWAS AND HINDI PAKHWADA | 14TH AND 16TH –

29TH SEPTEMBER 2022
The Department of Legal Affairs celebrated Hindi Diwas on 14th September and Hindi
Pakhwada from 16-29 September, 2022. Various competitions were organised on this
occasion and highlighted on all social media handles of the Ministry. Minister of Law and
Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju, in the closing ceremony of Hindi Pakhwada organised by the
Department of Legal Affairs, gave prizes to the winners of various competitions. Minister
of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel was also present at the function.
The Social Media Team designed the back drop, standees and ensured social media
coverage of the event.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XIX-14:
Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Law & Justice
Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at Hindi Pakhwada Closing Ceremony, Dr. Ambedkar
International Centre, New Delhi

13. 20TH MEETING OF THE PROSECUTORS GENERAL OF

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION
23RD SEPTEMBER 2022
20th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Member States was held on 23rd September 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan. India was
represented by Shri Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India and Dr. Anju Rathi Rana,
Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs. Two Experts Group meeting took place
as a precursor to the 20th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) Member States.

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 Figure XIX-15: 20th Meeting of the Prosecutors General of
Shanghai Cooperation Organization

14. INDO-UK MEET | 28TH SEPTEMBER 2022

British High Commissioner to India, H.E. Mr Alex Ellis met the Law Secretary on 28th
September 2022. Fruitful discussions took place for enhancing cooperation in various
areas of Law & Justice, strengthening bilateral relations in trade and commerce between
both countries.

Figure XIX-16: British High Commissioner to India, H.E. Mr Alex Ellis with Law
Secretary Dr. Niten Chandra, Officers and Staff of Department of Legal Affairs,
Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
15. SPECIAL CAMPAIGN 2.0 | 2ND – 31ST OCTOBER 2022
Special Campaign 2.0 was organised under the overall guidance of DARPG, Government
of India from 2-10-2022 to 31-10-2022. Regular social media posts and videos were
posted according to the Department’s initiative during the campaign. Digitisation drives
were conducted to digitise the physical records.

Figure XIX-17:
Special Campaign 2.0 at Department of Legal Affairs

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 16.ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR INDIA | 7TH OCTOBER 2022
Senior Advocate and former Member of the Law Commission of India, Shri R.
Venkataramani took over as the new Attorney General for India. The Social Media Cell
posted the notification of appointment online and shared video bytes of the top Law
Officer of the Country.

Figure XIX-18: Shri R. Venkataramani, the Attorney General for India

17. NOTARIES ONLINE INTERVIEWS - HIMACHAL PRADESH AND

GUJARAT | 12TH AND 21ST OCTOBER 2022
Online Interviews for the appointment of Notaries were successfully conducted by the Central
Government for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. Social media posts were created along with
the designs and posted across all the platforms for wider dissemination to the public.

Figure XIX-19:
Online Interview for Notaries held at the Department of Legal Affairs

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
18. ALL INDIA LAW MINISTERS AND LAW SECRETARIES
CONFERENCE | 15TH – 16TH OCTOBER 2022
Realizing the need to develop a robust and citizen-friendly justice delivery system and
imagining India’s vision for the year 2047 as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the All
India Conference of Law Ministers and Law Secretaries was held on the 15th and 16th
of October, 2022 at Tent City, Ekta Nagar, Gujarat. The two day Conference was hosted
by the Ministry of Law & Justice with the objective of providing a common forum for the
policy makers of the nation to discuss the plethora of issues that concerns the Indian
Legal System. It was envisioned on the lines of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s
vision of ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s efforts) to build a new India and to inculcate a sense
of coordination and cooperation in every organ of our democracy.

Figure XIX-20: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Law &
Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel with Officers from Ministry of Law & Justice at
Law Ministers and Law Secretaries Conference, Kevadia, Gujarat

The Centre, the States and the Union Territories discussed and deliberated on making our
legal system more accessible, affordable and citizen friendly. A variety of topics relating
to the Indian legal system were also discussed, and it gave an opportunity for the States
and Union Territories to exchange their best practices that can serve to upgrade the
overall legal system of the country in the interests of its citizens, particularly the weaker
sections of the society, thereby empowering them to create an inclusive and vibrant new
India. Live coverage, social media postings and videos of the event and views of Law
Ministers from across the nation.

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 19. AYURVEDA DAY | 23RD OCTOBER 2022
Under Ayurveda Day celebrations, montage videos of the Officers were uploaded
pertaining to the significance of Ayurveda in day to day life.

Figure XIX-21:
Montage on Ayurveda Day, 2022

20. FIT INDIA FREEDOM RUN | 29TH OCTOBER 2022

To promote the culture of fitness in the country, Freedom Run was organised on
29.10.2022 from Vijay Chowk to India Gate by the Ministry of Law & Justice wherein all 3
Departments of the Ministry of Law & Justice participated. Social Media coverage across
all the platforms highlighted the event in which the Minister of State for Law & Justice
Professor S.P. Singh Baghel participated.

Figure XIX-22: Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel
and Officers of Ministry of Law & Justice at Fit India Freedom Run 2022,
India Gate, New Delhi

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
21. VIGILANCE AWARENESS WEEK | 31ST OCTOBER –
6TH NOVEMBER 2022
The Department of Legal Affairs organized a lecture on "Corruption Free India for a
Developed Nation" delivered by Dr. Anurag Deep, Professor, Indian Law Institute, in
addition to poster making and essay writing competition as part of Vigilance Awareness
Week. Social media posts were published across all platforms for wider outreach.

Figure XIX-23: Officers and staff of Department of Legal Affairs observing Vigilance
Awareness Week, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi

22. NATIONAL UNITY DAY | 31ST OCTOBER 2022

Department of Legal Affairs commemorated the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai
Patel as the National Unity Day 2022. The Department pledged to preserve the unity,
integrity, and security of the Nation. Photos along with the captions posted across all the
social media platforms.
Figure XIX-24: Unity Day Pledge at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi

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 23. CYBER JAAGROOKTA DIWAS | 7TH – 18TH NOVEMBER 2022
Observing Cyber Jagrookta Diwas, the Department of Legal Affairs organised a
Cybersecurity Awareness Workshop for the Officers and Staff of the Department. An
interactive Q&A session was held as part of the workshop. Guest speakers Dr. Pavan
Duggal, Senior Advocate (Supreme Court of India), Founder and Chair (International
Commission on Cyber Security Law) and Founder-cum-Chancellor, Cyber Law University
and Shri V.T.V. Ramanna, DDG, NIC MeitY deliberated on the safety laws pertaining to
cybersecurity. Informative posters on cyber tips and Dos & Don’t were displayed at the
Department for generating awareness among the staff.

Figure XIX-25:
Cyber security workshop at the Department of Legal Affairs

24. MINISTER OF LAW & JUSTICE VISIT TO THE CENTRAL

AGENCY SECTION | 9TH NOVEMBER 2022
Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju reviewed the digitisation and record management
process at Central Agency Section, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi as part of
#SpecialCampaign2.0 of DARPG with objective of Swacchta that the Prime Minister had
started in 2014 from birthdate of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October to birthdate of Sardar
Patel on 31st Oct.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XIX-26: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at Central Agency Section,
Supreme Court of India, New Delhi

25. LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA - APPOINTMENT OF

CHAIRPERSON AND MEMBERS | 9TH NOVEMBER 2022
The Central Government appointed Justice Shri Rituraj Awasthi, retired Chief Justice,
Karnataka High Court, as the Chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission of India. Justice
K. T. Sankaran, retired Judge, Kerala High Court, was appointed as the Member and Shri
M. Karunanithi, Advocate, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, was appointed as a part-time Member of
the Law Commission of India.

Figure XIX-27: From L-R, Justice K. T. Shankaran-Member, Justice Shri Rituraj

Awasthi-Chairperson, Shri M. Karunanithi, Part-time Member

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 26. CONSTITUTION DAY CELEBRATIONS | 14TH –
26TH NOVEMBER 2022
As part of the 73rd Constitution Day Celebrations at Department of Legal Affairs, the
Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju led the way by endorsing the pledge to
abide by the Constitution of India. As a run-up to commemorate the 73rd Constitution
Day, the Department of Legal Affairs took up the initiative to reach out to the citizens
of India by reading out the Preamble and taking a Pledge on this occasion to honour
and abide by the Constitution.

Figure XIX-28: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju endorsing the pledge to
abide by the Constitution of India

27. MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW & JUSTICE PROFESSOR S.P.

SINGH BAGHEL MEETING WITH MONGOLIA DELEGATION |
19TH NOVEMBER 2022
The 3rd 'No Money for Terror' Conference was held in New Delhi where an interactive
session was hosted by Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel
for Ms. Bayarsaikhan Solongoo, Vice-Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs of
Mongolia. The glimpses of the session were highlighted on the social media handles
of the Ministry of Law & Justice.

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
Figure XIX-29:
Minister of State for Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel and Vice-Minister
of Justice and Internal Affairs of Mongolia Ms. Bayarsaikhan Solongoo

28. MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW & JUSTICE PROFESSOR S.P.

SINGH BAGHEL AT ROZGAR MELA | 22ND NOVEMBER 2022
The Minister of State, Law and Justice Professor S. P. Singh Baghel participated in the
Rozgar Mela initiated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 22nd November. The
Minister addressed the newly inducted recruits at Shaurya Officers Institute, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi. He also handed the Appointment Letters to the newly inducted recruits. The
event was duly covered by the Social Media Team of Department of Legal Affairs and
was amplified on the social media handles.

Figure XIX-30:
Minister of State of Law & Justice Professor S.P. Singh Baghel at Rozgar Mela

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 29. INTERNATIONAL DAY TO ELIMINATE VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN | 25TH NOVEMBER 2022
The Ministry of Women and Child Development started a 16 day campaign on social
media to mark the International Day to Eliminate Violence between 25th November and
10th December 2022. The Department of Legal Affairs focused on Generation Equality
and covered the trend #OrangeTheWorld on all the social media handles. Two special
videos “Respect Women Everywhere”, by the Officers and staff of the Department were
also posted which got over 2200 views.

Figure XIX-31: Poster on the International Day to Eliminate

Violence against Women

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
30. SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE
(PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL) ACT, 2013
CAMPAIGN – | 25TH NOVEMBER – 10TH DECEMBER 2022
The Department of Legal Affairs held a sensitisation workshop on Sexual Harassment of
Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 at Shastri Bhawan,
New Delhi. Advocate Shashank Shekhar deliberated on the Act and its provisions. Dr.
Niten Chandra, Law Secretary, Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary, along with other
Officers and staff of Department of Legal Affairs participated in the workshop. A Nukkad
Natak was also organised to spread awareness on prevention of sexual harassment of
women at workplace, educational and training institutions, public transport, home and
trusted places among others. Students of Culture Society, Campus Law Centre, Delhi
University depicted the various compelling issues in an engaging and innovative way.

Figure XIX-32:
Nukkad Natak performance at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi

31. COMMONWEALTH LAW MINISTERS MEETING

30TH NOVEMBER 2022
Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting convened from 22-25 November 2022 in
Balaclava, Mauritius hosted by the Attorney General’s Office, Mauritius. In the meeting of
31 Member Countries, the Indian delegation consisted of Shri Vijay Kumar Sharma, Joint
Secretary and Shri Arpit Anant Mishra, DLA, Department of Legal Affairs.

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 Figure XIX-33:
Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in Balaclava, Mauritius

32. SCO JUSTICE MINISTERS MEETING | 9TH DECEMBER 2022

Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju stressed on role of digital technology to move
towards SCO’s goal of common development during the 9th Meeting of the Ministers of
Justice of SCO Member States and lauded various reform initiatives including eCourts,
India Code and others taken by India. During the meeting, Member States expressed
readiness to further improve cooperation between the Ministries of (Law and) Justice in
accordance with the principles and provisions established according to the SCO Charter
and other cooperative accords between the member States.

Figure XIX-34:
Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju with Minister of State for Law & Justice
Professor S.P. Singh Baghel and Law Secretary Dr Niten Chandra attending the
9th Meeting of the Ministers of Justice of SCO Member States

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

33. INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY | 10TH DECEMBER 2022

On International Human Rights Day the Department, through its Social Media Handles,
gave out a message to resolve to create a more resilient and equal society to ensure
Dignity, Freedom and Justice for all, free from any discrimination.

Figure XIX-35: Poster on International Human Rights Day

34. INDIA-EU FTA MEETING | 13TH DECEMBER 2022

Negotiations between India and European Union on Free Trade Agreement were held
from 5th-8th December, 2022 at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. The information about
both sides expressing their positions on different aspects and agreeing to resolve the
differences to reach an early agreement on all outstanding issues, was disseminated to
the general public through Social Media.

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 Figure XIX-36:
Officers involved in the negotiations between India and European
Union on Free Trade Agreement Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi

35. OBSERVATION OF INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS 2023 |

28TH DECEMBER 2022
United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets. As a precursor, the
Department of Legal Affairs organized a Millet Lunch for the Officers and staff of the
Ministry of Law & Justice. The event was graced by Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren
Rijiju and Minister of State for Law & Justice Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel along with officials
and staff from all the three Departments of the Ministry.

Figure XIX-37: Minister of Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju at the Observation of
International Year of Millets 2023, at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

36. NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY | 24 JANUARY 2023

The Department of Legal Affairs celebrated the National Girl Child Day by collecting
photographs of female employees alongside their parents and creating a touching
video. The campaign highlighted the achievements and accomplishments of girl children
who carved a place for themselves. Through the video compilation, the Department
showcased their success stories and emphasised the significance of empowering and
supporting the girl child. The campaign served as an inspiration and a reminder of the
potential and capabilities of every girl child in contributing to the progress of the nation.

Figure XIX-38:
A glimpse of the video posted on social media on National Girl Child Day

37. REPUBLIC DAY | 26 JANUARY 2023

The Department of Legal Affairs extended its greetings on the occasion of the
74th Republic Day and organised quiz campaigns aimed at promoting awareness
and engaging the public in a fun and informative manner. The quizzes encouraged
participants to test their knowledge about the history and significance of Republic Day.
Additionally, the Department shared short video compilations capturing the grandeur
and patriotic spirit of the event.

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 Figure XIX-39:
Poster on 74th
Republic Day

38. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN & GIRLS IN SCIENCE |

2 FEBRUARY 2023
On the occasion of the International Day of Women & Girls in Science, the Department of
Legal Affairs initiated a series of campaigns by leveraging the power of social media. The
Department conducted quiz campaigns to promote awareness and engage the audience
in a fun and educational manner. These quizzes aimed to test participants' knowledge
about the contributions of women in the field of science and inspire the next generation
of girls to pursue careers in STEM. Furthermore, the Department shared observance
posts on social media, highlighting the remarkable achievements of women in science
and underscoring the importance of gender equality in the scientific community. Through
these initiatives, the Department aimed to celebrate and recognize the invaluable role of
women in advancing scientific knowledge and encourage equal opportunities for girls in
the field of science.

Figure XIX-40:
Poster on International
Day of Women & Girls
in Science

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
39. WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE | 20 FEBRUARY 2023
On the World Day of Social Justice, the Department shared an observance post that
reiterated its unwavering commitment to promoting justice for historically marginalised
groups. The observance post served as a reminder of the ongoing efforts needed
to address social inequalities and promote social justice. Through this initiative, the
Department aimed to inspire collective action and raise awareness about the imperative
need for a just and equitable society.

Figure XIX-41:
Poster on World Day of Social Justice

40. SIMPLIFICATION OF LAW (ORIENTATION MEETING) |

23 FEBRUARY 2023
On 23rd February 2023, the Department of Legal Affairs conducted an orientation
meeting focused on simplification of laws. Senior officials from various Ministries and
Departments actively participated in the meeting. The primary objective was to identify
laws that required simplification.

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 Figure XIX-42: Glimpse from the Orientation meeting on
Simplification of Laws at Department of Legal Affairs

41. CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,

LAW COMMISSION OF INDIA | 25 FEBRUARY 2023
The Conference on Sustainable Development in India, organised by the Law
Commission of India at the University College of Law, Mohanlal Sukhadia University,
Udaipur, was graced by the esteemed presence of Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Law &
Justice, and Prof. SP Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law & Justice. Their presence
added significance to the event, and they highlighted the government's commitment to
sustainable development. The Conference served as a platform to discuss and explore
ways to promote and implement sustainable practices for the betterment of India's future.

Figure XIX-43: Glimpse from the Conference on Sustainable

Development organised by Law Commission of India in Udaipur

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE

42. NATIONAL SCIENCE DAY | 28 FEBRUARY 2023

The Department acknowledged the exceptional contributions of science and its pivotal
role in the progress of human civilization. To commemorate this special day, a Social
Media post was shared to highlight the remarkable advancements made possible through
scientific endeavours.

Figure XIX-44:
Poster on National Science Day

43. ZERO DISCRIMINATION DAY | 1 MARCH 2023

On Zero Discrimination Day, the Department highlighted the significance of a
discrimination-free society for the progress of any nation. This was emphasised by
enumerating the provisions of law that guide India towards an era devoid of discrimination.
By acknowledging the importance of a discrimination-free society, the Department aimed
to foster inclusivity, respect, and harmony among the citizens. The commemoration
of Zero Discrimination Day served as a reminder of the ongoing efforts required to
create a society where every individual is treated fairly and without prejudice, ultimately
contributing to the overall development and well-being of the nation.

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 Figure XIX-45:
Poster on Zero Discrimination Day

44. UK DELEGATION MEETING WITH OFFICERS OF DEPARTMENT

OF LEGAL AFFAIRS | 7 MARCH 2023
A delegation from the United Kingdom headed by Ms. Jo Farrar, Second Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom, & Ms. Lubna Shuja, President, Law Society
of England & Wales met Dr. Niten Chandra, Law Secretary, Dr. Rajiv Mani, Additional
Secretary and other officers of the Department of Legal Affairs in New Delhi.

Figure XIX-46: Meeting of a delegation from United Kingdom

with the officers of Department of Legal Affairs

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 GLANCE
2022 ATATAAGLANCE
45. 23RD COMMONWEALTH LAW CONFERENCE |
5 MARCH 2023 - 9 MARCH 2023
The 23rd Commonwealth Law Conference took place between 5 March and 9 March,
2023 and was graced with the presence of Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Law & Justice,
and Prof. SP Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law & Justice. The Conference served as
a platform for legal professionals from Commonwealth nations to gather and exchange
knowledge and insights. It was a significant event highlighting the importance of
international collaboration and cooperation in the field of law.
2022-23

Figure XIX- 47:

Minister of Law
& Justice Shri
Kiren Rijiju
addressing the
attendees of 23rd
Commonwealth
Law Conference

46. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY | 8 MARCH 2023

The Department of Legal Affairs celebrated International Women's Day in a grand manner
by organising cultural events that showcased the remarkable talent of its female staff
members such as through solo singing performances, group songs, classical and folk
dances, skits and a Rangoli competition.

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 Figure XIX- 48:
Cultural events & Rangoli Competition held on the
occasion of International Women’s Day

47. HAR GHAR DHYAN PROGRAM | 15 MARCH 2023

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Ayush, the Department of Legal Affairs organised
the "Har Ghar Dhyan" Campaign in collaboration with Art of Living. The session was
moderated by an instructor from Art of Living, who enlightened the staff members about
the profound significance of meditation and its practice through various Dhyan mudras.
Through the "Har Ghar Dhyan" Campaign, the Department of Legal Affairs encouraged
the staff members to prioritise their mental and emotional health, fostering a harmonious
and peaceful work environment.

Figure XIX- 49:

Har Ghar Dhyan Meditation Session held at the Department of Legal Affairs

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
48. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS PHOTOGRAPHY
COMPETITION | 21 MARCH 2023
To celebrate the International Day of Forests, the Department organised an online
photography competition. Participants from all over the country enthusiastically
took part and showcased their photographs capturing the serenity of forests. The
competition provided a platform to appreciate the beauty and importance of forests
while raising awareness about their preservation.

Figure XIX- 50:

Poster on International Day of Forests

49. RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN VISIT | 31 MARCH 2023

The women staff and officers from the Department of Legal Affairs visited the Rashtrapati
Bhavan gardens, also known as Amrit Udyan, on 31 March 2023. It is a delightful garden
known for its enchanting beauty and diverse collection of flower species.

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 Figure XIX- 51:
Visit by women
officers and staff
of Department of
Legal Affairs to
Amrit Udyan

50. MONTHLY ACTIVITY - LEGAL INTERNS FELICITATION AND

TESTIMONIALS| JULY - DECEMBER
Legal Interns Felicitation and Testimonials

Young law students are given an opportunity to work in various Sections of the
Department of Legal Affairs under a month-long internship. The interns receive exposure
to conduct of government business and mentored on several aspects of law, policymaking
and implementation.

Figure XIX- 52:

Legal Interns at the Department of Legal Affairs

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
DISSEMINATION OF ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS ORGANISED
BY DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS IN 2022 TO PRESS
INFORMATION BUREAU

1. 1st Workshop on Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace held on 23rd

February, 2022 under the aegis of Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law &
Justice. Posted On: 23 Feb 2022
2. Celebration of International Women’s Day. Posted On: 08 Mar 2022
3. National Law Universities. Posted On: 25 Mar 2022
4.  Shri Kiren Rijiju recommends young talent to apply for Internship Programme
introduced for Law students. Posted On: 01 Jun 2022
5. Union Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju to participate in IDY 2022 programme at Dong in
Arunachal Pradesh tomorrow. Posted On: 20 Jun 2022
6. Prime Minister inaugurates Digital India Week in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Posted On:
04 Jul 2022
7. Cabinet approves signing of MoU in the field of Judicial Cooperation between
Judicial Service Commission of Maldives. Posted On: 20 Jul 2022
8. Legal Arbitration Centres. Posted On: 29 Jul 2022
9. Settling of cases through Lok Adalat and Arbitration. Posted On: 04 Aug 2022
10. Status of Mediation Centres. Posted On: 04 Aug 2022
11. India-UK agree to exchange experiences and best practices in areas of working of
commercial courts, and ADR mechanisms like arbitration and mediation. Posted On:
23 Aug 2022
12. 20th Meeting of Prosecutors General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) Member States organized at Astana, Kazakhstan. Posted On: 23 Sep 2022
13. Ministry of Law and Justice supports Inter-Ministry, Bar and Bench Badminton
Championship in association with Fit India Movement. Posted On: 18 Sep 2022
14. All India Conference of Law Ministers and Law Secretaries to begin from tomorrow
in Gujarat. Posted On: 13 Oct 2022
15. The Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice conducts various activities
as part of the Special Campaign 2.0 on Swachhta. Posted On: 31 Oct 2022
16. Law Commission of India PRESS COMMUNIQUE. Posted On: 09 Nov 2022
17. As part of the Prime Minister’s commitment to accord highest priority towards
employment generation, Rozgar Melas organized at 45 locations across the country.
Posted On: 22 Nov 2022
18. Cyber Jaagrookta Campaign organised by the Department of Legal Affairs. Posted
On: 24 Nov 2022
19. Awareness and Sensitisation Workshop and Nukkad Natak On Sexual Harassment of
Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 at Department
of Legal Affairs. Posted On: 07 Dec 2022
20. SCO pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual trust and benefit,
says Shri Kiren Rijiju Union Minister of Law & Justice at the Ninth Meeting of Ministers
of Justice of the SCO Member States. Posted On: 09 Dec 2022
21. International Law Vocabulary a guidance document for Countries which are party to
Multilateral Treaties/Conventions and aims at common understanding of the basic
terminology of International law. Posted On: 16 Dec 2022
22. Year End Review 2022: Department of Legal Affairs. Posted on: 26 Dec 2022

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 Figure XIX- 53:
Social Media Performance

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2022-23 AT A GLANCE
2022
2022-23 AT A GLANCE at a

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at a Glance

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 MLJ.GovIndia @mlj_goi @MLJ_GoI law-and-justice-ministry-india @mlj_goi

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