Early trial of politicians unfair to people awaiting justice: Congress

SC on Wednesday asked the Centre to constitute special courts on lines of fast track courts for expeditious disposal of cases for MPs and MLAs

The Congress Party on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision of expeditious disposal of pending cases against MPs and MLAs, however, said that the decision will be unfair to the people awaiting justice for longer period.

Speaking to ANI, Congress leader KTS Tulsi said that the priority given to the cases against the MPs and the MLAs for the purpose of trial and appeal, will be at the expense of people sitting in jail for eight or ten years.

"It's a welcome move. Everyone wants expeditious trial. It's good that the cases against the MPs and the MLAs will be given the top priority for the purpose of trial and appeal. But this is the constitutional right of every accused. Would this priority not at the expense of people sitting in jail for eight or ten years without knowing that they are guilty or innocent? Should those cases allowed to be neglected and delayed further? If you give one set of cases priority it is at the expense of someone else."

 

He further said that the judiciary system should find a way to clear arrears.

"Top priority should be given to dispensing criminal justice. Expediting criminal trials and appeals is the most laudable thing to be done, but not only in one category. The cases where people are confined in custody deserve even a higher priority than this," he added.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said that the decision is worth welcoming, but it will not improve the judiciary system.

"Why the Supreme Court not taking a call on delay in pending cases. The Supreme Court should take a decision on this also," he added.

The Apex Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to constitute special courts on lines of fast track courts for expeditious disposal of cases pending against parliamentarians and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

The top court also asked the Centre to apprise it as to how much amount would be spent on constituting the special courts.

It gave its decision after the Election Commission asked the judicial body that there should be a life term ban on convicted parliamentarians and MLAs from contesting elections.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking debarring of convicts for life from contesting polls and stopping them from entering judiciary and the executive.