Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, directed concerned courts to submit specific reports explaining the reasons behind the delay in pending cases involving Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
A division bench, led by Justice Suman Shyam and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, was hearing a suo-motu writ petition regarding the status of these cases.
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Following the court’s order from January 28, 2025, the Registry presented a report on March 10, 2025, detailing the status of such cases in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The court reviewed the report and noted that it had disposed of 7 out of 15 cases involving MPs/MLAs pending in the Principal Seat of the Gauhati High Court.
The remaining 8 cases were at an advanced stage of hearing. The court expressed confidence that it would resolve these cases soon, given the progress made.
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However, the court raised concerns about cases pending in the district judiciary in Assam.
The courts have stalled many of these cases at the stage of the accused’s appearance, with some registered over a decade ago.
The court questioned the delays and asked the Registry to obtain reports from concerned authorities explaining why these cases had not progressed.
The court noted several cases in Assam where proceedings stalled at the evidence recording stage.
It instructed the Registry to gather information on why courts had not recorded evidence despite significant delays.
In some instances, the High Court’s stay orders delayed proceedings before district courts.
The court directed the Registry to compile a list of such cases and seek approval from the Chief Justice to constitute a Special Bench or list the matters before a designated bench for expedited hearings.
Regarding cases in Arunachal Pradesh, the court found that 8 cases involving MPs/MLAs were pending, with some dating back to 1996 and 2005.
In these cases, proceedings were either stalled at the stage of evidence recording or the appearance of the accused.
The court instructed the Registry to obtain specific information from the concerned authorities to understand the reasons for these delays and determine what actions the presiding officers had taken to expedite these cases.
The court set a deadline for the submission of the required reports before the next hearing date, April 29, 2025.