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Supreme Court to Hear Urgent PIL on Speedy Disposal of Cases Against Lawmakers
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News18•25-09-2026, 11:45
Supreme Court to Hear Urgent PIL on Speedy Disposal of Cases Against Lawmakers
- •The Supreme Court will urgently hear a 2016 PIL seeking speedy disposal of criminal cases involving lawmakers across the country.
- •Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, assisting as amicus curiae, highlighted that nearly 40% of legislators face criminal cases, necessitating immediate directions.
- •Hansaria's report indicates over 4,000 criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, with 251 Lok Sabha members and 75 Rajya Sabha members having criminal records.
- •Chief Ministers of 14 states, including Telangana's Anumula Revanth Reddy (89 cases), West Bengal's Suvendu Adhikari (29 cases), and Karnataka's D K Shivakumar (19 cases), have declared criminal cases.
- •Despite monitoring by top courts, the number of pending criminal cases against lawmakers has remained consistent since 2018, prompting the need for expedited trials.
Key Questions Answered
The 2016 public interest litigation seeks directions to ensure the speedy and expeditious disposal of pending criminal cases involving members of parliament and legislative assemblies across the country, as nearly 40 percent of legislators face such charges.
According to the affidavit filed by amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria, there are over 4,000 criminal cases currently pending against members of parliament and legislative assemblies, with 251 out of 543 Lok Sabha members facing criminal cases.
On November 9, 2023, the Supreme Court directed high courts to set up special benches to monitor criminal cases against lawmakers for speedy disposal, and instructed special courts not to adjourn proceedings except for rare and compelling reasons.
