Government, Politics and Judiciary

Maharashtra is one of the most advanced states in India, the second most populated state and the third largest state in India. The government, politics and judiciary of Maharashtra is quite similar to those of the other states. The state of Maharashtra is governed by the Governor and the Chief Minister. The Governor is the nominal head of the state and the Chief Minister is the Head of the government. He is the head of the political party which has the maximum number of seats in the State Legislative Assembly. The State Legislative Assembly is also known as the Vidhan Sabha and it is situated in the capital city of Maharashtra, Mumbai.

The Chief Minister has all the executive powers which he can execute taking the advice of his council of ministers. The government of Maharashtra is aided by a bicameral parliament, the lower house and the upper house - the Vidhan Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad. At present the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is Vilasrao Deshmukh from the Congress Party.

The political party which holds the maximum number of seats in the Vidhan Sabha at present is the NCP which had formed the government with a coalition with the Congress. The state of Maharashtra has been nominated 19 seats in the Rajya Sabha and 48 in the Lok Sabha.

Commissions :

The four commissions of the government of Maharashtra are the State Election Commission, Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Union Public Service Commission, and Staff Selection Commission. These commissions have been formed to fulfill certain special responsibilities such as conducting exams which are Related to government jobs.

• The State Election Commission:

has the responsibility of taking care of the election chores in the state. There is a state election commissioner who is appointed on the basis of certain qualifications.

• Maharashtra Public Service Commission:

the MPSC consists of examinations which are scheduled for the posts of Judges of the Co - Operative courts, Assistant Director, Special District Social Welfare Officer, Medical Officer. This commission fixes the dates of the examinations, the syllabus for the examination, the schedule for the interview and other details in connection with the examinations.

• Union Public Service Commission:

the most important function of the Union Public Service Commission is the recruitment of services through written examinations and interviews, advising the state government on the recruitment of personnel, disciplinary functions, other miscellaneous functions regarding pensions and reimbursements of legal expenses.

• Staff Selection Commission:

the function of the Staff Selection Commission of the Maharashtra government is to select staff of the Group B and technical staff of the Group C in the Ministries or Departments, Government of India offices, Election Commission and the Central Vigilance Commission. The Commission is responsible for formulation of policies which might assist in conducting the examination smoothly.

Government Departments :

Maharashtra government is dedicated towards serving the citizens and for that purpose it has delegated the responsibility to the various departments of the government. Each department takes care of the different needs of the inhabitants. Apart from the government departments, the government of Maharashtra is assisted by the Boards and Corporations in the fulfillment of its duty.

The Government Departments and their functions are:

• Agriculture Department
• Co-operation Department
• Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER)
• Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra
• Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET)
• Employment and Self Employment Department, Maharashtra
• Finance Department, Maharashtra
• Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department
• Forest Department
• Home Department
• Irrigation Department
• Public Works Department (PWD)

Vidhan Sabha :

The Vidhan Sabha of Maharashtra is the lower house or the House of the People. The total strength of the House is 289 members and the term of office for the members is five years. Under unusual conditions the House may be dissolved. It consists of members who are directly elected by the people of Maharashtra.

There are certain qualifications required to be the member of the Vidhan Sabha which are:

To be a citizen of India
To be not less than 25 years of age
To be mentally sound and not bankrupt
To have an affidavit of not having any criminal procedures against him.

Mumbai High Court :

The highest body of the Maharashtra judiciary is the Bombay High Court under which there are the Subordinate Courts which serve the districts and the City Civil Courts. The Bombay High Court can exercise original jurisdiction over the state of Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu. It has benches in the cities of Bombay, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Panaji in Goa. The Bombay High Court can exercise both original and appellate jurisdiction in Bombay. The Bombay High Court can have maximum of 64 judges.

The judiciary of the state of Maharashtra offers legal aid services in all its benches. The Lokayuktas and the Upa - Lokayuktas form the subordinate courts of Maharashtra. the benches of the Bombay High Court in the cities also serve as the subordinate courts in the state. Other than that there is the Maharashtra State Legal Services and Authority department which provides all the necessary information about the important names and contact numbers Related to the judiciary services.

Last Updated on 02/01/2013