Supreme Court to fast-track criminal cases against MPs and MLAs

On Friday, the Supreme Court set an urgent hearing for a 2016 public-interest litigation requesting faster disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs. The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, will hear the matter after Justice V Mohana recused herself due to prior involvement as counsel. Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appointed amicus curiae, highlighted that roughly 40 % of legislators are under criminal prosecution, totaling more than 4,000 cases, and cited chief ministers Anumula Revanth Reddy, Suvendu Adhikari and D K Shivakumar with numerous charges.

He argued that despite the Supreme Court’s November 2023 directive to set up special benches and restrict adjournments, the backlog has remained largely unchanged since 2018. The hearing seeks to ensure timely trials for lawmakers, reinforcing accountability and public confidence in the justice system.