The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed trial courts in the national capital to decide pending cases against former and sitting lawmakers (MPs and MLAs) on priority.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad was hearing a suo motu case initiated by it in the year 2020 concerning expedited trial of cases against MPs and MLAs.

Keeping in view of the pendency of cases as well as the status report filed in the matter, the bench directed the special courts and ACMMs to “give priority to achieve final disposal” in cases relating to MPs and MLAs.

The court also asked its Registrar General to communicate the direction to special courts dealing with such cases within three days from today.

During the course of the hearing, the court orally remarked that the disposal rate in the cases is very low. “Disposal is almost zero," it said.

In April last year, the court had appointed Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi as amicus curiae and to assist it in the matter and suggest further measures, not only to ensure compliance of Supreme Court’s directions but also to “achieve its objective of ensuring expeditious disposal of cases against sitting and former MPs/MLAs.”

The Supreme Court in September 2020 directed special courts to take up criminal matters against MPs and MLAs in Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay v Union of India.

Case Title : COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION v UNION OF INDIA

Citation: 2023 LiveLaw (Del) 138