Karnataka achieves drastic reduction in ‘overdue’ cases before revenue courts: Minister 

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda interacting with The Hindu in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Sudhakakara Jain

Karnataka has now become a model for the country in terms of handling revenue disputes as the State has drastically reduced the number of “overdue” cases, which have been pending beyond deadline, before the courts of tahsildars and Assistant Commissioners. 

This has resulted in a significant social impact through reduction in the burden of litigation, financial expenses, and harassment for farmers as over 95% of such disposed cases have attained legal finality without being taken before either higher revenue courts or civil courts. 

The rules stipulate that disputes before the tahsildars’ courts should be disposed of within three months, while the next higher authority of Assistant Commissioners’ courts should dispose of such cases within a maximum of six months. However, the number of overdue cases before these courts have been huge across the country.  

Drastic reduction 

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda pointed out that Karnataka had 10,774 overdue cases before the courts of tahsildars and 60,000 before the courts of Assistant Commissioners when he took over the Department in 2023. “We have managed to reduce them to below 400 in tahsildars’ courts and 24,000 in the Assistant Commissioners’ courts,” he said. 

The Minister told The Hindu that it was possible owing to special focus given through regular and real-time monitoring as well as reviews regarding pendency. All cases had been onboarded to the Revenue Court Case Monitoring System (RCCMS), which is a web application to track ongoing cases.

The Revenue Department has initiated action against those failing to onboard the pending cases to RCCMS and those delaying the disposal of cases. Officials have been told to issue even orders regarding cases through RCCMs. 

Social impact 

The reduction in the pendency of cases has resulted in a significant social impact as this has drastically reduced the number of cases appealed before higher revenue authorities or taken to courts, Mr. Gowda said, while pointing out that only 3% to 5% of the cases have gone for an appeal after being disposed by the tahsildars’ courts.  

“Farmers can now focus on their work instead of repeatedly visiting the revenue offices,” he observed.  

According to him, the Centre has acknowledged Karnataka’s achievement during various official meetings, while a few States have deputed their teams to Karnataka to learn from its experiment.  

End-to-end integration: 

Also, the Revenue Department has ensured end-to-end digital integration of revenue court management system for the first time in the country that has brought in transparency, accountability, and swift action. Under this system, the matter automatically goes before the revenue courts concerned if the aggrieved parties raise objections. This system enables parties concerned to view the status of the case online. The revenue courts will have to issue the orders in digital format that would be automatically effected in RTCs. 

The department has introduced a system of “auto mutation” under which the changes in RTCs (other than ownership change) are effected automatically without the need for submitting any applications or making physical visits to offices with respect to nine areas. “We have now reduced the time required for effecting changes in land records in these cases from the earlier system of weeks to just 12 hours,” the Minister said. 

Similarly, in case of ownership change involving registered documents, there is a need for seven days’ notice period while those with unregistered documents need a notice period of 15 days. In both the cases, the changes will be effected in two days after the completion of the notice period. 

Published - June 01, 2025 09:04 pm IST