New Delhi, September 18: The Supreme Court directed the Chief Justices of all High Courts to prepare an action plan in order to expeditiously deal with pending cases against Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly.
The Bench of Justices NV Ramana, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy has now issued the following directions:-
The Chief Justice of each High Court should formulate and submit an action plan for rationalization of the number of Special Courts necessary, bearing in mind: the number of pending cases in each distrcit, the number of Special Courts needed proportionally, the number of courts currently available, the number of judges and their tenure, expected time for case disposal, the proximity of courts and adequacy of infrastructure.
In the event the trials are already ongoing, the Chief Justice may also consider whether it is appropriate or necessary that the case should be transferred to a different Court.
The Chief Justice should designate a Special Bench, comprising themselves and their designate, in order to monitor the progress of these trials. The Chief Justices are requested to give their comments on the other suggestions of the amicus curiae for the purpose of expedient disposal of pending criminal cases against legislators. Additional suggestions, if any, may also be sent to the Supreme Court.
The action plan, with the comments and suggestions of the Chief Justices of the High Courts, is to be sent to the Secretary-General of the Supreme Court, preferably within a week. A copy may also be sent to the amicus curiae by way of e mail.
The High Court Chief Justices have also been asked to list all pending criminal cases involving sitting/former legislators (MPs and MLAs), particularly those wherein a stay has been granted, before an appropriate bench(es) comprising of the Chief Justice and/or their designates.
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