Education minister sets deadline to review pending litigation

Patna: Education minister Mithilesh Tiwari has directed officials to prioritise the disposal of long-pending court cases involving the department, with special focus on matters pending for more than a decade.

Chairing a review meeting on Friday, Mithilesh said timely resolution of litigation was not merely an administrative responsibility but was directly linked to the interests of students, teachers and parents. According to official figures, the education department is currently involved in 10,145 pending court cases.

The minister instructed officials to identify and categorise all cases pending for over 10 years and ensure their speedy disposal in line with the Bihar Litigation Policy. He said prolonged legal disputes consume administrative resources and delay decisions affecting teachers, employees and the public.

Mithilesh directed all concerned authorities to complete the identification, classification and preliminary review of such cases within 15 days. He warned that any laxity in the exercise would not be tolerated and said progress would be monitored regularly.

He said reducing the burden of pending litigation would enable the department to devote more time, energy and resources to improving educational services and implementing welfare programmes.

The minister said quicker resolution of legal disputes would help address long-standing issues related to teachers and education staff, strengthen school infrastructure and improve the delivery of govt schemes.

Expressing confidence in the effective implementation of the Bihar Litigation Policy, Mithilesh said the initiative would help reduce the department’s legal burden and contribute to a more transparent, efficient and accountable administrative system.