Shillong, November 9: In a significant move, the Supreme Court issued a directive to all Chief Justices of High Courts nationwide, urging them to initiate suo moto cases for overseeing the prompt disposal of pending criminal cases involving Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).
As per IANS, acknowledging the complexity of issuing uniform guidelines for the speedy resolution of such cases, a bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud emphasized the necessity of special benches in every High Court. These benches will continually provide directives to combat the criminalization of politics, with the authority to seek assistance from the Advocate General and other state government officials.
The apex court further empowered the High Courts to call for status reports on the matter from all District and Session Courts under their jurisdiction. The directive aims to address the issue of prolonged criminal cases against legislators and enhance the efficiency of the judicial process.
Notably, the Supreme Court had previously reserved its judgment on September 11, clarifying that the examination of the validity of Section 8 of the Representation of Peoples Act, which limits the disqualification period for contesting elections to six years, would be handled separately.