Special courts to try lawmakers: Allocate funds, SC tells govt

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today directed the Centre to proportionally allocate Rs 7.8 crore, earmarked for setting up of 12 special courts to deal with cases involving politicians, to the concerned states.

The apex court said the governments of states where the special courts are to be set up will constitute these courts in consultation with the respective high courts so as to ensure that they are functional by March 1, 2018.

A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha also granted two months to the Centre to collect and collate data of cases involving lawmakers pending across the country. The bench said the main issue relating to life ban on convicted politicians would be heard in the month of March.

The apex court listed the matter for further hearing on March 7. The apex court was earlier informed by the Centre that at least 12 special courts would be set up to decide cases involving politicians as accused. The Centre had sought more time to collect and collate data of pending cases against lawmakers across the country.

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 a year and how many have ended either in conviction or acquittal.

The top court was hearing petitions seeking to declare the provisions of the Representation of People Act, which bar convicted politician from contesting elections for six years after serving jail term, as ultra vires of the Constitution. PTI ABA MNL SJK RKS RRT ARC