New Delhi: The police in Kerala are reluctant to arrest members of Parliament (MPs) and Legislative Assembly (MLAs) accused in various cases and produce them in court, the Kerala High Court has said in a report submitted to the Supreme Court.
It has suggested appointing senior police officers to issue summons and execute warrants as a solution to the problem.
On September 16, the apex court had asked the chief justices of high courts to work out a plan of action within two weeks to expedite the cases against MPs, MLAs and former people’s representatives. The case will be heard again by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
There is no criticism of the police in the reports of other high courts. The Kerala High Court has said settlement of cases are getting delayed because the accused are not being arrested and produced in court.
Vijay Hansaria, the amicus curiae in the case, told Manorama that the Kerala High Court had not pointed to any particular case and that the report's observation was general in nature.
Central agencies’ reports not provided
Solicitor General Thushar Mehta had on September 16 assured the Supreme Court that the progress reports of the cases being investigated by the central agencies would be submitted in two weeks. The amicus curiae has, however, said that the reports have not been submitted to the court.
People’s representatives accused in 336 cases in Kerala
In Kerala, there are 336 cases in which people's representatives are an accused. This includes two cases in which the punishment could be death or life imprisonment. There are 324 cases in the lower courts (sessions court - 8, Vigilance Court - 6, Magistrate Court - 310) and 12 cases in the High Court. Since 2012, there have been more than 100 cases in which the charges have not been framed.
4,859 cases all over India
There are a total of 4,859 cases in the country in which current and former people's representatives are accused. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of such cases — 1,374. Kerala has the sixth-highest number of cases with 336. There are 10 cases in the Supreme Court.
