Special courts to try politicians:

Special courts to try politicians:

Context

The Centre informed the Supreme Court that it will set up at least 12 special courts to try exclusively criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs.

Backdrop

The affidavit was in response to a Supreme Court direction in November to the government to frame a Central scheme for setting up special courts across the country exclusively to try criminal cases involving “political persons”. The court is hearing a PIL petition filed by Supreme Court advocate Ashwini Upadhyay who has sought a lifetime ban on all convicted politicians.

Funds allocated

Centre has allotted ₹7.8 crore and framed a scheme to set up them, SC told

1,581 cases

The court on November 1 directed the Centre to place before it details of 1,581 cases involving MPs and MLAs, as declared by the politicians at the time of filing their nominations during the 2014 general elections.

Call for Central scheme

Countering the Centre’s argument that setting up such courts would depend on the availability of funds with the States, the apex court said “the problem can be resolved by having a Central scheme for setting up of courts exclusively to deal with criminal cases involving political persons on the lines of the fast track courts