Maharashtra govt mandates use of Marathi for revenue hearings, orders

The Maharashtra government on Friday made the use of Marathi compulsory in quasijudicial proceedings conducted by the revenue department including hearings and official orders passed by authorities reported PTIRevenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced a new standard operating procedure SoP aimed at streamlining the functioning of revenue officers and improving transparency in quasijudicial matters reported PTIThe state government issued a detailed 29page government resolution outlining revised procedures for handling quasijudicial cases before revenue authorities across MaharashtraNew SoP Aims To Make Revenue Administration More CitizenFocusedAccording to the government the revised framework has been introduced to make the revenue administration more efficient accessible and citizencentric reported PTIBawankule said the changes were implemented under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with the objective of improving the overall functioning of the revenue department reported PTIThe minister said the government took into consideration earlier administrative directives recommendations submitted by divisional commissioners fieldlevel instructions and observations made by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India while drafting the revised proceduresOfficials said the updated rules are expected to bring greater uniformity in quasijudicial proceedings and reduce delays in revenuerelated casesRevenue Officers Asked To Conduct Hearings Twice A WeekUnder the new SoP all revenue officers have been instructed to conduct quasijudicial hearings at least twice every week preferably on Tuesdays and Fridays reported PTIThe government has also tightened rules related to adjournments in such cases As per the revised guidelines adjournments will be allowed only once and only if valid reasons are provided by the parties involvedOfficials said the measure is intended to prevent unnecessary delays and speed up the disposal of pending matters before revenue authoritiesThe new system also makes it mandatory for officers to hear both parties before passing any order in a caseDigital Signatures Mandatory For All OrdersThe government has directed that all interim and final orders issued in quasijudicial proceedings must be uploaded on the lsquoeQJ Courtrsquo digital platform reported PTIIn addition every order will have to be issued using digital signatures to ensure transparency and proper record managementOfficials said no order can be passed without recording detailed reasoning Authorities have also been instructed to issue speaking orders within a maximum period of eight weeks reported PTIThe administration believes the move towards digital documentation and stricter timelines will improve accountability in revenue courtsSeparate Guidelines Issued For Key Revenue MattersThe revised procedures also include separate guidelines for handling specific categories of cases under the Maharashtra Land Revenue CodeThese include matters related to minor minerals farm access roads petition cases correction of clerical mistakes and other revenue proceedings handled by district and divisional authoritiesAccording to officials the new framework is expected to reduce pendency in revenue courts and improve the efficiency of quasijudicial administration across the stateWith inputs from PTI