Quasi-judicial powers given to MoS and secretaries to hear pending appeals: Maha Minister

Nagpur, Dec 11 The state assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code Amendment Bill, 2025, to delegate quasi-judicial powers to the Ministers of State (MoS) and secretaries.

This was done to clear the increasing backlog of cases in the Revenue Department, and also following the directions from the High Court.

This amendment now allows the Minister of State and Secretaries to hear appeals currently pending with the Revenue Minister.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated while introducing the bill that the Revenue Department currently has over 13,000 quasi-judicial cases pending.

According to a ruling by the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar bench of the High Court, ministerial powers cannot be delegated merely by rules; a change in the law itself was necessary, leading to the introduction of this bill.

Minister Bawankule made a major announcement, stating, "We are planning to dispose of all appeals from the level of Deputy Tehsildar up to the Minister level within 90 days. Necessary legal amendments will be made by the March session, ensuring these cases are resolved within three months without date after date."

During the discussion, opposition members raised important questions. Shiv Sena UBT legislator Bhaskar Jadhav asked, "If a law is required to delegate the Minister's powers to the Minister of State, why is this rule limited only to the Revenue Department? What about Ministers in other departments? This decision should have been taken collectively by the General Administration Department (GAD). Also, the limitations on the powers delegated to the Minister of State must be clearly defined."

Legislators Jayant Patil, Vijay Wadettiwar, and Abhijeet Patil also participated. Patil highlighted that thousands of cases are pending not just at the Ministry but at lower levels as well.

Wadettiwar stressed that merely setting a 90-day rule is not enough; its strict implementation is crucial. Finally, after the Revenue Minister assured comprehensive amendments in March next year, the bill was passed unanimously.

--IANS

sj/dan

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