SC pulls up Centre, Maha govt for not creating special courts

FOR CASES UNDER SPECIAL STATUTES

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Centre and Maharashtra government for not creating courts for cases under special statutes concerned that courts will be forced to grant bail to accused.

The order of a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said, "If the authority fails to establish courts with requisite infrastructure for conducting speedy trial under the NIA Act and other special statutes, the court would invariably be forced to release the accused on bail, as there is no effective mechanism to conclude the trial in time bound manner."

The bench told Additional Solicitor General Rajkumar Bhaskar Thakre, appearing for the Centre and Maharashtra government, designating the existing courts as special courts amounted to "coercing" the high court to relabel them.