Performance monitoring of govt counsels soon, says Arjun Meghwal, minister of state for law & justice

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Centre is expected to develop a framework to evaluate the performance of empanelled counsels.

The initiative will be part of efficient and effective management of govt litigations.

Minister of state for law and justice (independent charge) Arjun Meghwal said that the Centre is in the process of issuing necessary directives in this regard. "This evaluation process will involve comprehensive and objective assessment, including feedback from relevant ministries and departments. Ministries and departments will be required to submit annual feedback on the performance of empanelled advocates and panel counsels representing the Union of India," he said.

BJP's Rajya Sabha member Ajeet Gopchade had addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10, underscoring the need for continuous and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation mechanism for empanelled counsels, with the objective of protecting the interest of the govt. The letter was also addressed to the Union law and justice ministry.

"Based on evaluation, govt counsels at lower levels may be considered for promotions to higher positions, have their tenure extended, or be removed from the panel, if necessary," Meghwal said in a written reply on April 1.

The minister further said that the proposed directives will also include provisions for upgrading the legal information management and briefing system (LIMBS) to enhance user experience, ensure seamless integration with other govt databases such as e-courts, and transform LIMBS into a comprehensive modern management tool.

A govt counsel said the advocate community concerned has no qualms about performance monitoring, provided the Centre also takes proactive steps to help the govt prosecutors. "The govt counsels solely depend on police force and govt machinery while fighting for govt litigations. So, the performance of govt prosecutors largely depends on the cooperation from others, and this also needs to be factored in while doing appraisal of govt lawyers," a govt prosecutor said, preferring anonymity.