The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday gave its nod to the Centre’s decision to set up 12 special courts to deal exclusively with criminal cases against lawmakers and politicians.
The apex court ordered state governments to set up the fast track court in consultation with their respective high courts and ensure that the special courts start functioning from March 1, 2018.
The apex court has also granted two months’ time to the Centre to collect and collate data of pending cases against lawmakers across the country.
The Union government has been asked by the SC to proportionally allocate Rs.7.8 crore to states where the special courts will be set up.
In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Centre said a scheme has been framed for setting up special courts to dispose off cases against political persons in response to a 2014 court direction to set up special courts to exclusively handle criminal cases against lawmakers.
The top court gave the directions on November 1 on a public interest litigation by lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay who sought a lifetime ban on convicted lawmakers and setting up of special courts for trying lawmakers accused of criminal offences.
The court had directed the government to frame a scheme for setting up such courts exclusively to deal with criminal cases involving political persons on the lines of the fast-track courts which were set up for a period of five years which was later extended, though the scheme now stands discontinued.
The Centre told the apex court that it had obtained from an NGO a figure of 1,581 criminal cases pending against lawmakers and politicians. However, it said, the NGO was not able to give details of the courts before which these cases are pending.