KOCHI: A special court exclusively for the trial of criminal cases registered against MPs and MLAs in the state will be opened here on Saturday. It's following a Supreme Court directive that fast-track courts are being introduced all over the country to dispose of criminal cases pending against legislators. The apex court, while considering a public interest litigation last year, had given an ultimatum to the states to open such special courts before March 1.
Justice K Surendra Mohan, the judge in charge of Ernakulam district, will inaugurate the court at a function to be held here at 10 am. The court will be functioning at the court complex adjacent to the Kanayanur Taluk office near Maharaja's College. It will come under the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court category. One of the senior-most Chief Judicial Magistrates in Kerala will be the presiding officer of the court.
All criminal cases against MPs and MLAs in Kerala will be transferred to the court. However, grave offences will be tried at the respective District Session Court itself. "Offences like the destruction of public property, assault, breach of trust, unlawful confinement, unlawful assembly, mischief and misappropriation of the fund, which invite imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 10,000, will be tried in the new court," an officer with the new court said.
The government has allocated 14 staff members to the new court. Apart from the Special Court in Kerala, 11 more similar courts will be opened across the country. There are several cases related to unlawful assembly and destruction of public property registered at legislators. In a majority of such incidents, the government decides to close the case years after registering the FIR.