The Uttarakhand High Court has once again directed the State government to provide information to the court about the number of criminal cases registered in the State against members of parliament and members of the legislative assembly. The court has also sought information about the number of such cases which are sub judice. The High Court has directed the government to submit this information in two weeks. The division bench of acting chief justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and justice Vivek Bharti Sharma issued this direction in pursuance of Supreme Court directions regarding swift hearing in criminal cases lodged against the MPs and MLAs.
It is pertinent to mention here that in the past too the High Court had taken cognisance of the Supreme Court directions regarding the criminal cases lodged against MPs and MLAs. However, the State government has so far not submitted a list of such cases to the court. In pursuance of the Supreme Court directions, the Uttarakhand High Court held a hearing again in the matter on Wednesday.
According to the case details, in August 2021, the apex court had directed the High Courts in all States that hearings in the cases against MPs and MLAs should be expedited. The State governments are misusing section 321 of the Indian Penal Code and withdrawing cases against their MPs and MLAs. The Supreme Court had also directed the High Courts that the State governments cannot withdraw the cases against the MPs and MLAs without the permission of the High Court. Special court should be set up for expediting hearings in cases against the MPs and MLAs, the apex court had stated.
