BREAKING: Telangana HC forms special bench to monitor pending cases against MPs, MLAs

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has said that pursuant to the Supreme Court's directions in the case of Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay versus Union of India, the Court has formed a special bench to monitor all pending cases against Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) in the state.

The Special Bench will ensure that the trial in those cases are completed in a speedy manner. The orders we pass in that case may serve your purpose as well, the judges said.

The Court was hearing a public interest litigation plea filed by former Andhra Pradesh Minister Chegondi Harirama Jogaiah seeking speedy completion of trial in the quid pro quo cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The petitioners counsel Adv. Polisetty Radhakrishna said that they were seeking expeditious completion of the trial in the case in tune with Supreme Court orders in the Ashwini Upadhyaya matter.

A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar ordered fresh notices in the matter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the CBI and the CBI Court in Hyderabad hearing the quid pro quo cases.

It ordered the notices on being informed that no proof was forthcoming on serving of the earlier notices issued to Jagan and CBI.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the Chief Justices of all High Courts to form a Special Bench in each High Court to monitor ongoing criminal trials against MPs and MLAs to bring them to an expeditious, logical conclusion.

The landmark judgment was passed by a 3-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on a plea by Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.

The plea had expressed concerns about people faced with criminal charges - some even punishable with life imprisonment and death - were sitting as legislators in the Parliament.

These cases have a direct bearing on our political democracy. Hence, there is a compelling need to make every effort to ensure that these cases are taken up on priority and decided expeditiously, the Court had observed.

Amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria and Adv. Ashwini Upadhyay, the petitioner, had informed the Court that nearly 40% of the MPs and MLAs have criminal antecedents.