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SC approves 12 fast-track courts to clear cases against politicians
Last updated on Dec 14, 2017, 03:00 pm
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The Supreme Court of India has given its nod today, for setting up of 12 fast-track courts to dispose of the more than 1,000 pending cases against politicians.
These courts will have to be operational by March 1, it said.
They will function for a year and close the 1,571 cases pending against MPs and MLAs as declared in their 2014 election affidavits.
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In this article12 fast-track courts to hear 1,571 pending cases against politicians 31% of Modi's cabinet has criminal cases registered against them What do the current laws have to say? 21 states will have none of these new special courts But we don't have the latest data yet SC approves 12 fast-track courts to clear cases against politicians
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12 Dec 2017
12 fast-track courts to hear 1,571 pending cases against politicians
![12 fast-track courts to hear 1,571 pending cases against politicians]( "12 fast-track courts to hear 1,571 pending cases against politicians")
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The Center has told the SC it has framed a policy to set up 12 special courts to quickly dispose of 1,571 pending cases against politicians.
These courts would be constituted for a year.
This comes on a petition by advocate Ashwini Upadhyaya, which seeks a bar on convicted politicians from contesting polls.
The EC had urged the apex court to take necessary steps.
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Stats
31% of Modi's cabinet has criminal cases registered against them
![31% of Modi's cabinet has criminal cases registered against them]( "31% of Modi's cabinet has criminal cases registered against them")
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According to the 2014 election affidavits, there are 1,581 cases pending against politicians.
In the Narendra Modi cabinet, 24 of the 78 union ministers (or 31%) have criminal cases registered against them, according to a 2016 report by the Association for Democratic Reforms and National Election Watch.
Fourteen of them have declared serious criminal offences like murder, kidnapping and crimes against women (rape, molestation).
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Information
What do the current laws have to say?
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Currently, lawmakers held guilty of a crime punishable by more than two years in jail immediately lose their membership of the Parliament or state Assembly. Moreover, a convicted criminal can't contest elections till six years after their sentence ends.
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Action
21 states will have none of these new special courts
![21 states will have none of these new special courts]( "21 states will have none of these new special courts")
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Now two special courts would be set up to hear 184 cases against MPs. Bihar (141 cases) and Maharashtra (160 cases) will have once court each for their MLAs.
There would be one each in UP (160), WB (107), Kerala (87) and Telangana (67).
21 states including Gujarat (54), Jharkhand (52) and Odisha (52) won't have any such special court.
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Data
But we don't have the latest data yet
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The Finance Ministry has approved Rs. 7.8cr for the special courts. The EC said they would help greatly in "cleansing Indian politics". However, the Center couldn't provide data regarding cases lodged against legislators during 2014-2017, and the number of cases disposed of in a year.
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14 Dec 2017
SC approves 12 fast-track courts to clear cases against politicians
![SC approves 12 fast-track courts to clear cases against politicians]( "SC approves 12 fast-track courts to clear cases against politicians")
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The Supreme Court of India has given its nod today, for setting up of 12 fast-track courts to dispose of the more than 1,000 pending cases against politicians.
These courts will have to be operational by March 1, it said.
They will function for a year and close the 1,571 cases pending against MPs and MLAs as declared in their 2014 election affidavits.
