The resolution of ongoing cases in the Indian judicial system takes years and years due to the tedious procedure of resolution and the lack of judges amongst others. The best example of this would be Bihar ex-CM and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who indulged in corruption throughout his term as the Chief Minister of Bihar but still went on to become the Minister of Railways under the UPA regime. The numerous charges against him could be proved only after a gap of atleast 10 years. Many corrupt leaders in the past too have enjoyed positions of power in governments after accusations of malpractices and other illegal activities are levied against them. Keeping this in mind, the current Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has come up with a unique idea to settle the ongoing cases against the Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly. Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday told the press about how the BJP government has transferred a staggering 791 ongoing cases of MPs/MLAs to 12 fast track courts for speedy trials and verdict.
The Law Minister was on Monday briefing the media about the achievements of the PM Modi led BJP government in the past four years. He elaborated that 12 fast track courts had been set up in a total of 11 states by the government for speedy trials and verdict. The fast track courts had been set up after the Supreme Court directed the Central Government to do so in order to clear the ongoing charges against lawmakers. The Election Commission too has hardened its stance and has debarred convicted MPs/MLAs from fighting elections in the past few years. It therefore has become quite necessary for the candidates to have no charges against them. The direction from the Supreme Court had come after the government told the apex court in an affidavit that 1,765 MPs and MLAs who constitute about 36 per cent of the total parliamentarians and members of legislative assemblies were facing criminal trials in 3045 cases. The total strength of lawmaker in Parliament and assemblies is 4,896 as of this point of time. This is a huge percentage of people considering these people get a chance to decide the laws and future of our country.
The BJP government’s decision is praiseworthy as it will help restore the belief of the people in democracy and the judiciary at the same time. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of lawmakers who have ongoing charges against them followed by Tamil Nadu and Bihar. The fast track courts have been set up to hear all these cases on a day to day basis and provide an early verdict in the same. A total of 727 fast track courts have been set up in the country which deal with cases related to crimes against women, SC/STs, children and senior citizens. The number of fast track courts operating in 2015 was 281 which has risen to 727 in 2018. The special fast track courts which deal with cases against lawmakers are in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
This shows that the PM Modi government and Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad are committed towards improving the credibility of the Indian lawmakers. It also sends a strong message to the citizens that nobody is above the law, not even the lawmakers themselves. This is exactly the way democracy should function, all thanks to Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Modi government.
