The Bombay High Court has directed Principal District Judges across Maharashtra to give details of cases pending against MPs and MLAs are pending across the the stages of trials of the same.
A special bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice N J Jamadar was hearing a suo motu PIL in view of Supreme Court directives seeking expeditious disposal of cases pending against present or former MPs and MLAs.
The bench said noted that certain trials against MP/MLAs are pending in large numbers before trial courts across the state. “We direct that the Principal District Judges of all districts shall furnish details of trials pending and stage of trial in tabular form (charts) within a period of four weeks,” the bench directed.
The HC, on April 19, granted the permission to withdraw prosecution in nearly six cases. On March 22, the Hc has passed an order granting approval for withdrawal of 22 such cases which were already withdrawn by the prosecution since September 2022.
The state informed that it had taken a policy decision to withdraw cases arising out of social and political causes in line with its March 14, 2016 and December 16, 2020 Government Resolutions.
A committee was set up by the state to consider withdrawing cases where there was no loss of life or destruction of property in excess of Rs.5 lakh. Based in the committee's recommendations, the state had asked prosecutors concerned to file applications for withdrawal of such cases.
