The post green revolution era has witnessed over-use of soil and rapid depletion nutrients in it. Being an Agrarian country, India ranks second worldwide in farm outputs. As per the Indian economic survey 2020–21, agriculture employed more than 50% of the Indian workforce and contributed 20.2% to the country’s GDP. To ensure the mandate of green revolution i.e. increase food production, alleviate extreme poverty and malnourishment in the country, the productivity has to increase without being damaged from pests. Side by side an increasing number of pesticides have been used in agriculture for protecting the crops from pests, weeds, and diseases but as much as 80–90% of applied pesticides hit non-target vegetation and stay as pesticide residue in the soil which is potentially a grave risk to the agricultural ecosystem. This review gives an overview of the pollution in agricultural soils by pesticides, and the remediation techniques for pesticide-contaminated soils. Currently, the remediation techniques involve physical, chemical, and biological remediation as well as combined ways for the removal of contaminants. But a long-term monitoring and evaluation of in situ remediation techniques are the need of the time for long-term sustainability and practical applications in the field. Microbial bioremediation, the treatment that uses microorganisms to transform hazardous substances into lesser or non-toxic compounds, is an eye catching, eco-friendly, economical and efficient way to clean soil polluted by chemical pesticides. This review also gives a broad idea on types, mechanism and factors affecting microbial bioremediation.