Try criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs speedily: HC

Jaipur: In a significant move towards expediting justice, a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court Thursday directed all district and sessions court judges to prioritise the hearing of criminal cases involving Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The directive came in response to a suo motu cognisance petition concerning the backlog of such cases in the state.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice Inderjeet Singh, specifically instructed the state govt to ensure timely service of summons and warrants in these cases. The bench emphasised that govt lawyers should refrain from unnecessarily seeking adjournments, thus delaying proceedings in these cases. The division bench scheduled the next hearing on the matter two months from Thursday.
Advocate General Rajendra Prasad was tasked with proposing strategies to facilitate the swift disposal of these cases. During the hearing, the court's registrar (administration) presented a report highlighting that over 36 criminal cases related to MPs and MLAs were currently pending in the state. The report included detailed information on the courts handling these cases and the duration for which they have been pending.
The initiative aligns with a directive from the Supreme Court in Nov 2023 on handling of criminal cases involving elected representatives.