New Delhi: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking the establishment of a dedicated “Revenue Judicial Service” to oversee land-related adjudications. Filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay and drafted by advocate Ashwani Dubey, the petition argues that the current system—where non-judicial public servants decide complex property matters—is legally impermissible and leads to inconsistent, arbitrary, and erroneous decisions. The plea highlights a critical gap in the Indian legal system: nearly 66 per cent of all civil litigation in the country is tied to land disputes, yet these cases are often handled by revenue officers who lack formal legal education or judicial training.
The petition contends that the lack of legal expertise among presiding officers results in prolonged uncertainty over property rights, thereby infringing upon the fundamental rights to equality (Article 14) and life and liberty (Article 21) guaranteed under the Constitution. According to the plea, this systemic failure not only restricts the use and transfer of land but also significantly inflates litigation costs for ordinary citizens. The petitioner has urged the Court to direct the Centre and State governments to prescribe minimum legal qualifications and a mandatory judicial training module, developed in consultation with High Courts, for all officers adjudicating titles, succession, inheritance, and possession.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter on April 2, 2026. The petition specifically mentions that while the Allahabad High Court had previously issued directions on this issue, they have yet to be implemented in “letter and spirit.” By seeking a declaration that property rights adjudication must be supervised and monitored by respective High Courts, the PIL aims to bring revenue courts under the same rigorous standards as the mainstream judiciary. This development comes amid a broader national push for judicial reforms to reduce the massive backlog of land-related cases across Indian courts.
