Set up spl courts to try netas in minor offences: SC

One-liner: The Supreme Court has asked the Allahabad High Court to issue a fresh notification to set up special magisterial courts to try minor offences involving lawmakers and ensure allocation of cases to sessions or magisterial courts depending upon the gravity of offences.

Fresh circular: Asking the High Court to issue a fresh circular in conformity with the present order, a bench headed by Chief justice N V Ramana took exception to the non-setting up of special magisterial courts in Uttar Pradesh for trying lawmakers in minor offences.

• The order of the special bench came on pleas raising the legal question of whether minor offences, triable by magisterial courts, against lawmakers can be prosecuted before a special court presided over by a sessions judge.
• The order, which came on petitions of Abdullah Azam Khan, the politician son of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, alleged that he has been prosecuted by special sessions court instead of a magisterial court

Allocation of criminal cases: It said the Allahabad High Court shall ensure allocation of criminal cases involving former and sitting legislators to as many Sessions Courts and Magisterial Courts as required.

Reserving order: While reserving the order on Khan's pleas, the bench had said that to solve the legal problem of lawmakers being tried by special sessions courts for minor offences, it would direct high courts to set up special magisterial courts where trials would be carried forward.

• The top court has been passing a slew of directions time-to-time for ensuring speedy investigation by the CBI and other agencies and conclusion of trials

Source: PTI