STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Pending cases against MLAs and MPs in Assam have been on the rise. According to records, the number of pending cases against some MLAs and MPs, as well as former MLAs and MPs, was 38 as of December 31, 2018. The number of pending cases increased to 68 in December 2021 and then jumped to 75 in November 2022.
According to records, the types of such pending cases range anywhere from attempted murder to kidnapping, hate speech to provocative or inflammatory speech, misappropriation of funds to fraudulent activities, and so on. According to the law, if convicted, the punishment in such cases may be a life sentence or a minimum of five years of imprisonment.
Around 33 of the 75 cases have been pending for more than five years. The trial is yet to start in some of the cases, and in some other cases, the investigation is yet to start. In other cases, taking the statements of the witnesses is underway.
Concerned at the figures, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed all the high courts across the country to speed up the disposal of all pending cases against MLAs, former MLAs, MPs, and former MPs.
According to the report submitted by the Gauhati High Court to the Supreme Court of India on August 19, 2021, as many as 66 cases against MLAs and MPs are pending with 32 judicial officers in different districts in the state. At present, the total number of such pending cases is 75.
According to sources, 40 of them are criminal cases. Sources said that cases pending in Assam are against 20 MLAs belonging to the BJP-AGP-UPPL combine, 12 of them against Congress, and ten of the AIUDF, and the rest of the cases are against former MLAs and MPs.
The apex court issued a slew of directions to the high courts to monitor the early disposal of pending criminal cases against MPs and MLAs. The Supreme Court also said that the high courts may also call for status reports on the cases from all districts and session courts under their jurisdictions.
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