Orissa Assembly adopts Special Court Bill

Bhubaneswar, Aug 12 (UNI) In a major step to prevent corruption in high offices, the Orissa Assembly passed the Special Court Bill 2006 amid Opposition walkout out.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who moved the bill in the House yesterday, rejected the Opposition demand for a sitting High Court judge to preside over the Special court instead of a sessions judge.

While allaying apprehension of members, Mr Patnaik made it clear that presiding officer of the court would be from the Orissa Judicial Service (senior branch).

The Chief Minister said there was a provision in the Act earlier that a sitting High Court judge would preside over the court but the past experiences revealed that only one case was disposed of by the presiding officer during 1992-95.

He said a sitting High Court judge being pre-occupied with his engagements in the high court could not dispose of more cases The government did not want to repeat the same experience to go for a sitting High Court judge, he added.

Mr Patnaik further clarified that the Bill has the provisions to have more than one Special court in the state at different places if required which he said could not be complied if the High Court judge was appointed as the presiding officer.

He said the Bill would ensure speedy disposal of the cases, particularly those involving the disproportionate assets. Mr Patnaik also clarified that adequate safeguards had been incorporated in the Bill against any abuse of the authority.

The Bill, he said, had also provision for an appeal in the High Court against the judgement of the Special Court and the decision to confiscate the property would be taken by a senior judge and not by the executive.

The Special Court Act was first passed by the Biju Patnaik government, but subsequently the Congress government, led by Chief Minister J B Pattnaik, repealed tha act through a legislation and transferred the cases to the regular vigilance courts.

The Naveen Patnaik government, however, re-introduced the Act as promised to the people in their election manifesto.

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