Court mandates updating online portal, issuing pending Brief Transmission Forms, and appointing nodal officer to expedite payment of legal fees
In a significant judgment delivered on September 9, 2026, the Delhi High Court under the bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna addressed persistent administrative issues faced by counsels representing the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) in relation to the clearance of their professional fees. The court took suo motu cognizance of multiple petitions highlighting delays and complications in the payment of bills submitted through the GNCTD's online single window system.
Petitioners, including senior advocates and counsels appearing in person, brought to the court's notice that despite uploading their bills on the GNCTD portal, a large number of bills remain uncleared due to repeated and successive queries from the Revenue Department. One advocate reported that out of approximately 500 bills submitted, about 250 faced continuous queries, preventing actual clearance. Additionally, the absence of Brief Transmission Forms (BTFs) for many cases has been a major hurdle, as the online portal rejects bills without the corresponding BTFs, even when the counsels have appeared and defended the cases on behalf of GNCTD.
The court noted the submissions of the Deputy Commissioner, North East District, GNCTD, who appeared via video conferencing and assured that the administration is actively working on resolving deficiencies in the bills. The GNCTD also submitted status reports and informed the court about regular high-level meetings chaired by the Secretary-cum-Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) to address the issue.
After considering all submissions, the court issued detailed directions to the GNCTD aimed at remedying the systemic problems:
1. The GNCTD must update the online portal promptly and clearly display the status of each bill against the respective counsel's name to ensure transparency regarding pending bills.
2. Immediate administrative action should be taken to issue all pending BTFs wherever the counsel's name appears on the order sheets, thereby facilitating bill submission.
3. A mechanism must be devised to allow uploading of bills on the portal in cases where BTFs have not yet been issued.
4. The Government is directed to appoint a nodal officer from the Department of Law and Justice who will act as a liaison between the counsels and the GNCTD departments, addressing queries and assisting in bill submission and deficiency removal.
5. Physical copies of BTFs shall not be demanded when BTF numbers are already provided in the bills, eliminating unnecessary paperwork.
6. Mr. Ajay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, North East District, GNCTD, was made personally responsible for coordinating with the Revenue Department to ensure issuance of all pending BTFs based on the presence of counsels in the order sheets.
7. The GNCTD must expedite clearing of the bills to avoid prolonged delays.
The court has scheduled a follow-up hearing on November 4, 2026, and has directed the concerned GNCTD officials to appear via video conferencing to report progress on compliance.
This judgment emphasizes the judiciary's proactive role in ensuring timely remuneration of legal professionals representing the government and seeks to improve administrative efficiency by leveraging technology and appointing dedicated officers for coordination.
Bottom Line:
Directions issued to the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) for resolving issues related to the clearance of bills submitted by counsels through the online single window system and addressing related administrative deficiencies.
Statutory provision(s): Administrative Law.
Anjana Gosain v. Government of NCT, (Delhi) : Law Finder Doc Id # 2981921
