CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has set fresh deadline of March 20 for the state government to apprise it on steps taken for early disposal of criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs in different designated courts.
In pursuance of a Supreme Court direction, the high court had registered a suo motu case with the title ‘In Re:designated courts for MPs/MLAs’ on December 11, 2023 and directed the district and sessions judges to furnish statement showing institution, disposal and pendency of cases.
When the matter was taken up for hearing on Wednesday, the court found that the state government had failed to comply with its order. Taking note of it, the division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo said, “By way of indulgence, four weeks’ further time is allowed to the state government to comply with the order issued on January 11, 2024. List this matter on March 20, 2024.”
The high court, had on January 11, directed the state government to file an affidavit indicating the steps taken for early disposal of cases pending before various courts of the state.
The latest reports received from the district judges indicated that 435 cases were pending against MPs and MLAs in the designated courts as on January 31, 2023. Of the 435 cases, only 69 had reached the trial stage. While 20 cases were instituted in January, 2024, eight were disposed of during the same period.