Prayagraj, Oct 14 The Allahabad High Court has expressed concern that high-priority criminal cases involving members of Parliament (MPs) and members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) are either being listed before non-designated courts or placed too low in the cause list, effectively preventing their hearing.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Indrajeet Shukla expressed the worry while hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation.
The bench noted that several priority matters were either being posted before non-designated courts, leading to them being marked as “wrongly listed”, or placed very low on cause lists, which led to heavy judicial rosters, preventing hearings.
“Listing a matter before a non-designated court prevents hearing … Further, listing the case low down in the cause list effectively prevents hearing of such cases,” the bench observed.
It held that only proper listing would enable the state prosecution to make effective mentioning for expeditious disposal.
The high court instructed key upgrades to the portal for monitoring MP/MLA matters.
The bench emphasised introducing stage-wise parameter generation, colour-coded tracking to ensure adherence to Supreme Court timeline directives, drop-down menus for trial judges to state reasons for delay, and automated periodic audit reports.
Regarding original trial court records at the high court, the bench directed the Registrar (J) (Criminal) to submit a revised comprehensive chart within three weeks, explicitly indicating the trial stage of each pending case.
Prosecution authorities and judicial officers were requested to provide inputs to refine supervision mechanisms.
The high court will resume hearing the matter on November 6, 2026.
(PTI News)
