Kerala High Court directs State govt. to expedite disposal of pending cases against MPs and MLAs based on District Judiciary recommendations
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The Kerala High Court has directed the Keralam government to expedite the disposal of pending cases against MPs and MLAs in accordance with the recommendations of the District Judiciary Registrar.
The court was considering a suo motu petition initiated under Supreme Court directives to monitor pending cases against sitting/former MPs and MLAs.
The Registrar suggested measures such as prioritising the execution of processes such as summons or warrants issued by criminal courts and deputing police officers to assist courts in the matter. The Registrar said that two police officers from each station shall be deputed exclusively for process duty, and that their duty diaries should be monitored accordingly. The functioning of nodal officers should be strengthened through frequent meetings.
It was also recommended to implement the Kerala Electronic Processes (Issuance, Service and Execution) Rules, 2025, where a person could be notified of proceedings through WhatsApp. The recipient could verify the authenticity of such a notification by using the verification facility on the District Case Management Services (DCMS) portal.
Additionally, the reconstitution of committees for coordination among different criminal justice functionaries at the magistrate, district and State level was recommended.
Wherever possible, videoconferencing facilities were suggested to ensure the appearance of accused persons and witnesses to avoid unnecessary delay in proceedings.
Referring to the police station-wise process register available online in DCMS, the Registrar recommended developing a corresponding facility at stations to record details of the case and the action taken in the proceedings. Further, processes that remained unexecuted beyond the prescribed period could be separately flagged for immediate follow-up.
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