Special courts to try politicians, Centre informs SC

Note4students

Mains Paper 2: Polity | Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

Prelims level: Provisions related to elections

Mains level: Electoral reforms by judiciary

News

12 special courts to be set up

1. The Centre informed the Supreme Court that it will set up at least 12 special courts to try exclusively criminal cases involving MPs and MLAs
2. The scheme had been given in-principle approval by the Finance Ministry on December 8

Why this move?

1. The court on November 1 had directed the Centre to place before it details of 1,581 cases involving MPs and MLAs,
2. This had to be as per the declaration by the politicians at the time of filing their nominations during the 2014 general elections
3. Supreme Court had directed in November to the government to frame a Central scheme for setting up special courts across the country exclusively to try criminal cases involving “political persons”