Centre plans 12 special courts to try lawmakers

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12 

Ticked off by the Supreme Court for its lackadaisical approach on the issue of weeding out criminals from politics, the Centre has proposed to set up 12 Special Courts to expeditiously decide criminal cases pending against lawmakers in terms of its March 10, 2014 order. 

In an affidavit, the Centre has proposed a scheme under which 12 Special Courts will be set up to decide criminal cases against lawmakers within a year. To start with, these courts would be for a year. 

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

An amount of Rs 7.8 crore has been earmarked after taking into account the revised pay-scales of judges. The estimated cost of setting up one Special Court has been calculated to be Rs 65 lakh. The scheme would be subject to minor changes after consultation with states, it added. 

According to an estimate, one Special Court can dispose of 165 cases in a year. Trials in states with less than 65 cases can be completed in the existing Fast Track Courts, the affidavit suggested. 

The top court had on November 1 asked the Centre to consider setting up special courts to try cases against lawmakers facing criminal charges — after it was informed that 1,581 lawmakers had criminal cases pending against them at the time of filing nominations in 2014.