Speaking at a coordination meeting of the Law and Justice Department officers and Government Advocates of the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, Advisor for Law and Justice TN Manen stressed the urgent need for closer cooperation between the Department and Government Advocates to prevent delays in delivering justice.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Manen said, urging Government Advocates to work diligently to ensure timely delivery of justice in the interest of all parties involved. He emphasized that the Law Department must be kept informed of significant cases so it can coordinate with relevant departments and provide prompt instructions to Government counsels. Manen also recommended that the performance of Government Advocates be regularly evaluated based on actual case outcomes by their supervising Advocates.
Principal Secretary of the Law and Justice Department, Y Kikheto Sema, IAS, highlighted that over 90% of High Court cases are writ petitions related to service matters where the Government is a party. He said defending the State’s interests effectively requires close coordination between Government Advocates and concerned departments. Sema assured that the department stands ready to provide legal advice and act as a bridge between government departments and advocates for efficient case handling.
Government Advocates raised concerns over delays in service extensions, inadequate fixed lump-sum pay not reflecting their workload, and frequent lack of timely instructions from departments, which often result in adjournments. They noted that despite many successful cases won for the Government, they face blame for delays beyond their control.
Following extensive discussions, several resolutions were passed to address these issues: Regular coordination meetings will be held involving Government Advocates and concerned departments, including litigating departments.
The Law and Justice Department will ensure timely extensions of Government Advocates’ services.
Government Advocates will submit performance reports detailing the work of each advocate.
The monthly lump-sum pay, unchanged since 2014, will be reviewed against pay scales of neighboring states, with proposals to be submitted to the Finance Department.
Government Advocates will prepare detailed lists of pending High Court cases, categorized by department and case type, along with statistics on wins, losses, and withdrawals over the past three years.
Advocates will report any departments that consistently fail to provide necessary instructions to the Law and Justice Department.