Report case statuses involving MPs and MLAs to Orissa HC by March 20
The state government has till March 20 to inform the Orissa High Court of the actions taken to expedite the resolution of criminal charges against Members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies in various designated tribunals.
On December 11, 2023, the high court filed a suo motu case with the title “In Re:designated courts for MPs/MLAs” in response to a Supreme Court directive. The court also instructed district and sessions judges to provide a statement outlining the institution, disposition, and status of cases.
The state administration was found to have disregarded the court’s ruling when the case was brought up for hearing on Wednesday. The Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo’s division bench took notice of it and said, “By way of indulgence, the state government is allowed four weeks’ further time to comply with the order issued on January 11, 2024.” Put this on the agenda for March 20, 2024.
On January 11, the state administration was instructed by the high court to submit an affidavit detailing the actions taken to expedite the resolution of cases that were pending in different state courts.
According to the district judges’ most recent reports, as of January 31, 2023, 435 cases against MPs and MLAs were pending in the designated courts. Just 69 of the 435 cases have proceeded to trial. Eight of the twenty lawsuits that were filed in January 2024 were resolved in the same month.
