Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Karnataka Conduct of Government Litigation Act, 2023.
2. (2) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may by 1[notification]1 in the Official Gazette appoint.
3. (3) The provisions of this Act shall apply to the conduct of litigation by or on behalf of the Government of Karnataka or any officer of the Government in his official capacity, before Law Courts and Statutory tribunals in the State.

Nothing in this Act shall apply to applications seeking conferment of occupancy rights or the determination of surplus land under the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961 (Karnataka Act 10 of 1962).

1. (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires.-
   • (a) "Case" means any proceeding pending in a Court of Law or a statutory tribunal to which the State Government or any of its officers in his official capacity, is a party;
   • (b) "Departmental Secretary" means the Secretary to Government in the Administrative Department having allocation of the business concerned in the matter of the case, under the Karnataka Government (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1977 and includes the Head of the Department concerned in the context of cases pending before trial courts;
   • (c) “District Level Committee” means a committee constituted under section 78 of the Act;
   • (d) "Government" means the State Government;
   • (e) "Head of the Legal Cell" means an officer appointed as Head of the Legal Cell, or any other officer notified as such by the Government;
   • (f) “Incorporation of Technology” means and includes the court case monitoring system and such other software as developed by NIC, e-governance or such other agency as specified by the Government from time to time;
   • (g) "Law Officer" has the same meaning as in the Karnataka Law Officers (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1977;
   • (h) "Legal Cell" means the Legal Cell established in each of the Secretariat Departments of the Karnataka Government Secretariat;
     • (i) "Litigation Conducting Officer" means, in relation to each case, the Officer in the department concerned who is placed in charge of the conduct of litigation in that case;
   • (j) "Nodal Officer" means an officer appointed as Nodal Officer by the Government by Notification; and
   • (k) “State Level Committee” means a committee constituted under section 77 of the Act.
2. (2) All the other words used but not defined in this Act shall have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Karnataka General Clauses Act, 1899 (Karnataka Act No.III of 1899).