Judicial reimbursement backlog in Meghalaya traced to years‑long approvals

The Meghalaya High Court has taken a hard line against the state’s handling of reimbursement claims filed by judges and other judicial staff. The bench, led by Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W. Deyngdoh, highlighted that certain bills have been pending for as long as ten years, prompting the court to impose a 9% annual interest on the overdue sums.

Specific examples were presented: a claim of ₹57,680 entered into the e‑proposal portal in October 2014 still lacks an approval order; a ₹15,860 demand from 2017 remains with the Law Department; and a ₹22,126 invoice has not been settled since June 2018. The judges remarked that even the smallest amounts should not be left unpaid for such an extended period.

The state's Advocate General, A. Kumar, assured the judges that all pending High Court proposals would be fast‑tracked and that the government intends to clear the outstanding judicial bills within two weeks. The court ordered that interest be accrued from the date the bill was filed until the date of payment for all claims from 2014 through 2022.

In addition, any reimbursement requests arising after 2022 must be processed and disbursed within fourteen days. The Law Department’s Commissioner and Secretary have been directed to examine the bottlenecks and to take disciplinary action against any officials found negligent. The bench also tasked the Advocate General and the Deputy Solicitor General with arranging a joint meeting with the GPO, Public Works Department and Urban Affairs officials to resolve a separate land dispute.