Delhi High Court will give MP and MLA criminal cases priority

NEW DELHI: To ensure that matters are resolved quickly and efficiently, the Delhi High Court has instructed its justices to give priority to hearing all criminal cases, appeals, and amendments involving MPs and MLAs.

While considering a suo motu PIL to keep an eye on cases involving MPs and MLAs that are still ongoing in trial courts and the high court, a division bench consisting of acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued the judgement.

On May 20, the case will be heard.
“Avoid delaying cases involving MPs and MLAs.”
Additionally, the court requested that its registry reallocate or disperse cases that are pending before a single judge of the court and for which a trial stay order has been granted, with the stay lasting longer than six months. There are thirty-four of these instances.
The court said in its ruling that this is necessary to guarantee that “stay applications are disposed of in the subject cases expeditiously and trial of such cases can conclude before the designated special courts.”
Additionally, directing the registry to distribute the ruling to the judges of the high court, the court stated, “In line with the directives passed by Hon’ble Chief Justice of India in WP(C) No. 699 of 2016 titled Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay vs. Union of India & Anr, we direct the registry of this court to circulate this order among brother and sister judges assigned with such cases so that priority is given to all criminal cases, appeals, and revisions pending before them against members of Parliament:
The high court ordered special MP/MLA courts to hear cases against legislators that are punishable by death or life in prison before taking up cases that are still pending before district courts. Cases that are punishable by five years or more of imprisonment will be heard after that. “We also request all the judges to refrain from adjourning the subject cases except for rare and compelling reasons,” the directive said.