SC approves Centre's proposal of setting up 12 special courts for MP, MLA trials

The Supreme Court had on November 1 asked the Central Government to constitute Special Courts in lines of fast-track courts for expeditious disposal of cases pending against parliamentarians and MLAs.

The Supreme Court on Thursday approved Union Government's proposal to set up 12 special courts to hear 1,581 pending cases against MPs and MLAs.

The Centre had on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it had decided to set up 12 special courts in different parts of the country to dispose of the pending cases.

"As per the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, it is proposed to have 12 special courts with an estimated expenditure of Rs 7.80 crore over a period of one year to dispose of all cases involving political persons," the law ministry said in its affidavit.

The Supreme Court had on November 1 asked the Central Government to constitute Special Courts in lines of fast-track courts for expeditious disposal of cases pending against parliamentarians and MLAs.

The SC had also asked the Centre to apprise it as how much amount would be spent on constituting special courts for cases against MPs and MLAs. The apex court sought 'empirical data' on tainted politicians and wanted to know how many MPs and MLAs have been convicted in criminal cases.

Earlier, the Election Commission told a bench headed by a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi that it favoured a life term ban on MPs, MLAs from contesting election after being convicted in criminal cases. The existing law disqualifies politicians sentenced to a jail term of two years or more from contesting elections for six years from the date of release from prison.

OneIndia News