Mirzapur.
Mirzapur. In Tehsil Lalganj, there was anger among the advocates over the alleged arbitrariness of the revenue courts, delay in disposal of cases, keeping the files pending and irregularities in the judicial process. On Friday, under the banner of the Uparuddha Advocate Committee, the advocates expressed their displeasure by protesting in the Chakravyuh in the Tehsil premises and raised various problems prominently with the administration.
The advocates, raising questions on the functioning of Sub-District Magistrate Lalganj Ajit Kumar and Tehsildar Lalganj, submitted a memorandum addressed to District Magistrate Mirzapur and demanded an impartial investigation of the entire matter and action as per rules against the officers and employees found guilty. The protesters say that if the poor villagers and litigants who come to the tehsil with the hope of justice do not get timely relief, then it is natural that the confidence of the general public in the justice system will weaken.
Advocates alleged that there is alleged arbitrariness in registering the files related to Section 76 in the court of Sub-Collector Lalganj. It is alleged that by registering some files, the process of hearing and orders is taken forward, while the files of other cases are kept pending for a long time. Similarly, in cases related to Section 80, complaints were raised about cases being dismissed without proper hearing and necessary procedures and alleged irregularities in depositing court fees. Advocates say that if the hearing and disposal of cases in the courts will not be as per the prescribed rules, then the direct loss will be borne by the villagers who are forced to make rounds of the tehsil for months to resolve their land and revenue related problems.
During the protest, advocates also raised serious objections regarding files of cases related to Section 32/38. They allege that in some cases files are not filed on time, dates are given unnecessarily and there are complaints of files being rejected by showing the litigants as absent during the hearing. Advocates said that transparency and equality should be followed in court proceedings, so that any
The litigant should not face discrimination or arbitrariness. He also alleged that in many cases the disposal of cases is being affected as orders are pending for months. The committee sought to clarify by examining the relevant records and files under what circumstances the cases were being kept pending and who was responsible for the delay in the court proceedings. However, these allegations are yet to be independently confirmed and the real situation of the entire matter will be clear only after the version of the concerned authorities comes forward.
Advocates also raised questions on the functioning of Tehsildar Lalganj. It was alleged in the memorandum that in some cases there is dissatisfaction among the litigants regarding the process of passing orders and alleged changes in the orders and proceedings related to appeals. The committee demanded an impartial investigation by examining the relevant files, orders and records. Advocates say that every order in revenue courts should be passed on the basis of evidence, records and legal provisions. No litigant should feel that his case is not getting a fair hearing. He demanded the administration to ensure transparency, accountability and timeliness in the court system.
Advocates also expressed their displeasure over the basic problems of the tehsil complex. They allege that the problem of waterlogging, filth and drainage has persisted in the campus for a long time. During rains, water logging around the advocates' chambers affects traffic and litigants also have to face problems. Advocates said that a large number of villagers, farmers and litigants reach the Tehsil premises every day in connection with their cases, but the problem of essential facilities like cleanliness and drainage is not being solved permanently. He demanded the administration to improve the cleanliness, drainage and other basic facilities of the premises, so that the people coming to the court can get relief from unnecessary troubles.
Questions also raised on disposal of IGRS complaints
The Advocate Committee also raised questions on the process of disposal of complaints registered on the IGRS portal. Advocates allege that in many cases the complaints are shown resolved only by completing the formalities without actually resolving them, while the problem of the complainant remains the same. He says that the purpose of the government's public hearing system is to provide real solutions to the problems of common citizens and not to show resolution of complaints only on paper. The committee demanded that the actual status of the complaints should be investigated and the redressal process should be considered complete only after ensuring that the problem of the concerned complainant is resolved.
Advocates said that problems like delay in hearing of cases in revenue courts, pendency of files and alleged negligence in resolving complaints affect the poor and general category people the most. To get justice in land related disputes, villagers have to come to the tehsil again and again, which wastes both their time and money. If they do not get justice on time, their problems increase further. The advocates warned that if their demands were not seriously considered and the problems were not resolved, the agitation could be further intensified.
Demand for impartial investigation and action from the District Magistrate
The above mentioned Advocate Committee has demanded from the District Magistrate Mirzapur that an impartial investigation should be conducted into the allegations made in Tehsil Lalganj and the related files, orders and records should be examined on legal basis. If the investigation confirms any irregularity, negligence or action against the rules on the part of any officer or employee, then action should be taken against him as per rules. Along with this, demands were made to ensure timely hearing of cases in revenue courts, transparent maintenance of files, actual disposal of IGRS complaints and permanent solution to the basic problems of the tehsil complex.
During the demonstration, Tehsil Lalganj Bar Association President Rajendra Prasad Maurya including Tulsidas Prajapati, Neeraj Kumar, Arun Kumar Tripathi Advocate, Swayam Prakash Tripathi Advocate, Shivam Pandey Advocate, Umashankar Patel, Sharad Maurya Advocate, Kunwar Maurya Advocate, Sanjay Maurya, Dharamraj, Nihal Khan, Gappu, Govind Yadav, Manish Kumar, Umesh Trivedi, Surendra Tiwari,
A large number of advocates including Jaiprakash Dubey, Dinesh Maurya, Ajit Kumar, Rajesh Maurya and Ashish Maurya were present. Everyone united and raised their demands and stressed the need to improve the functioning of the tehsil. Now all eyes are on the district administration to investigate the questions raised by the advocates and what steps are taken to provide relief to the litigants and ensure transparency in the functioning of the revenue courts.