Property registration to be linked to national judicial data grid

NEW DELHI: In a step towards bettering India’s ranking on World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index, the government has decided to link property registration with the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG). This will not only bring more transparency in land-related disputes but also help in fast-tracking commercial cases.

“In pursuance of the cabinet secretary’s directions, a meeting was held with representatives from eCommittee of Supreme Court, the department of land resources and others to enable linkage of property registration with National Judicial Data Grid as part of improving the ease of doing business ecosystem,” the law ministry said. A working group has been constituted to come up with a detailed action plan.

In a status report submitted to the cabinet secretariat, the law ministry said the first meeting (on ease of doing business) was held on October 12 and the department of legal affairs was ‘bringing about simplification of forms and rules and Pre-Institution Mediation and Settlement (PIMS)’.

The e-Committee of the SC held a meeting with representatives of the high courts of Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Karnataka to further simplify procedures. India ranked 63rd in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index in 2020, up from the 130th position it held out of 190 countries in 2016.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has written to all CMs to set up dedicated special courts under the Specific Relief Act. The responses were under compilation, law secretary Barun Mitra said in his letter to the cabinet secretary.

To further ensure time-bound disposal of commercial cases, the government has created 42 additional posts of higher judicial services in Delhi HC which will help it to set up additional dedicated commercial courts. At present, Delhi has 22 dedicated commercial courts.

The government has simultaneously taken up an awareness drive among industry chambers by conducting interactive sessions on ‘enforcing contract, government reforms and way forward’.

The law ministry, in its previous communication to the four HCs, had asked them to ensure that no judge under their jurisdiction gave more than three adjournments in a case, particularly in commercial division of HCs so that cases were disposed of in a set time-frame.

During the pandemic, the government had asked all commercial courts to make e-filing of cases mandatory. The HCs of Delhi, Bombay, Karnataka and Calcutta were asked to implement an e-filing process in all dedicated commercial courts by June 30 for Delhi and Mumbai and by September 30 for Kolkata and Karnataka.