New Delhi: At least 12 special courts would be set up to decide cases involving politicians as accused, the Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court.
It also sought more time to collect and collate data of pending cases against lawmakers across the country.
The Ministry of Law and Justice, in an affidavit filed in pursuance of an order asking it to come up with a scheme to set up special courts to deal with cases involving lawmakers, said it has allotted Rs 7.8 crore for the purpose.
Seeking time to file details of cases pending against the lawmakers in trial courts and high courts across the country, the Centre said information has been sought from various high courts, but their responses were still awaited.
The document, filed through Reeta Vasishta, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Law and Justice, said that as per the scheme, “12 special courts for a period of one year” shall be set up to dispose of cases against politicians.
The apex court had on November 1 directed the Centre to place before it details regarding 1,581 cases involving MPs and MLAs, as declared by the politicians at the time of filing their nominations during the 2014 general elections.
It had asked the government to apprise it of how many among these 1,581 cases have been disposed of within one year and how many have ended either in conviction or acquittal.
The government’s affidavit has said that the figure of 1,581 cases has been obtained from an NGO but the data as to in which courts these cases are pending is not available. “It is difficult to gather the facts and figures required for the purpose of answering the queries mentioned in the order of the court.
“Since the states in which these cases are pending is available, the ministry is seeking to collect the requisite details from the respective state governments,” the affidavit said. (PTI)
