New Delhi: The Registrar General of the Orissa High Court has submitted to the Supreme Court that as many as 362 cases against Odisha’s MPs and MLAs are pending with the judiciary.
In a status report submitted in the apex court, the Registrar General said that as many as 178 cases seek appearance in the court. Furnishing the district-wise report, the Registrar General stated that 31 cases are pending before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Angul out of which 16 cases are for appearance. It also said that 37 cases are pending before Third Additional Sessions Judge, Bhubaneswar of which seven are for appearance and three have been stayed by Orissa High Court.
Significantly, 200 cases are pending before JMFC, Special Court, Bhubaneswar, out of which almost half are at the stage of appearance and 31 cases are for trial. The judicial officer was posted June 7, 2021 and during this period not a single case has been disposed of.
Further, 47 cases are pending before JMFC, Sambalpur and most of the cases are for appearance. A judicial officer was posted there in November 2019 but not a single case has been disposed of since the appointment.
In order to expedite the cases against lawmakers, amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria submitted in the SC that the High Court may seek an explanation from the judicial officers for non-disposal of cases for longer periods. The amicus curiae also suggested that the HC should be requested to dispose of all cases pending before it within two months.
“The prosecution may be directed to produce the accused persons in cases which are pending at the stage of appearance and/or summons to the accused. In case, the accused persons do not appear before the Special Court within two weeks; bail, if any, granted shall stand cancelled automatically and the accused persons shall be taken into custody,” the amicus submitted.