Cabinet secretary asks ministries to drop cases after decriminalisation

Cabinet secretary T V Somanathan has directed ministries and departments to identify cases that can be withdrawn after several offences were decriminalised under the Jan Vishwas Act and obsolete provisions were removed. The move aims to cut the government's litigation burden. Over 3.5 lakh cases involving the Centre have been pending for more than five years, with revenue department topping the list at 1.27 lakh.