The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union government on a public interest petition seeking mandatory legal education and structured training for revenue department officials who decide land-related disputes.
The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, said land disputes account for a major share of pending civil cases in India and argued that such matters should not be adjudicated by officials without formal legal education.
He submitted that revenue officials, including tahsildars, currently handle cases involving patta, inheritance, property rights and land encroachment, but do not receive proper legal or judicial training. This, he argued, leads to inconsistent and erroneous decisions.
The petitioner also sought creation of a separate judicial service for land dispute adjudication, minimum legal qualification and mandatory training in consultation with the High Court, and a system for state High Courts to monitor decisions in land dispute matters.
After considering the plea, the Chief Justice observed that the issues raised appeared significant and directed that notice be issued to the Centre to file its response.
