Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a substantial decline in pending revenue cases following the state government’s stern action against negligent officials. The number of pending cases dropped from 18.4 lakh in early October to 15.6 lakh on November 7.
A significant improvement is also evident in the disposal of cases that have been lingering for over a year, with their number decreasing from 3.1 lakh to 2.5 lakh. Similarly, cases pending for over three years reduced from 2.6 lakh to 2.1 lakh, and those pending for over five years declined from 2.5 lakh to 2.1 lakh within a month, according to revenue board data.
During an October 31 review meeting, the state government sought explanations from 12 district magistrates for their negligence in handling revenue matters. Sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) who were found negligent were issued warnings, and adverse entries were made against tehsildars. Action was also taken against land consolidation officers in various districts.
To ensure transparency in the proceedings of all revenue courts, the disposal of cases is being closely monitored on the Revenue Court Computerized Management (RCCM) system.
Data gathered from the RCCM revealed that Pratapgarh, Jaunpur, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Ayodhya, and Rae Bareli were the districts with the poorest performance in disposing of revenue cases. Balrampur, Deoria, Meerut, Sonbhadra, Prayagraj, Shahjahanpur, and Agra were also identified as poorly performing districts.
The revenue board court received a total of 67,592 cases, out of which 25,139 were disposed of, leaving 42,453 pending. District courts registered 1,94,49,930 cases, of which 1,80,10,877 were disposed of, while 14,39,053 cases remained pending, according to the latest data.
Out of the 3,36,722 cases in divisional courts, 2,01,094 were disposed of, while 1,35,628 cases were pending.
Of the 5,41,068 cases related to land boundaries, 78,513 were pending in tehsil courts.
Out of 1,87,567 cases related to the use of land for industrial, commercial, or residential purposes, 5,498 were pending in courts.
Of the 3,66,650 cases associated with the misappropriation of gram panchayat land, 1,62,173 were pending in courts.
Of the 5,26,932 cases associated with the division of land holdings, 1,60,271 were pending in tehsil courts, as per the data.
In response to these findings, the UP revenue department has instructed divisional commissioners and district magistrates to prioritize the disposal of pending land dispute cases. In early October, the state government directed DMs to launch a 60-day special drive to address all revenue-related matters and land dispute cases.
