SC mulls Delhi-NCR court for grave crimes

The Supreme Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu proceedings to examine the need for consolidating trials in terror and other grave offences before a single court in the Delhi-NCR, warning that gaps in the existing legal architecture were allowing "hardened criminals" to exploit jurisdictional overlaps and delay trials to their advantage.

- Utkarsh Anand

Taking cognisance on its own motion, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that organised offenders frequently move across cities within the National Capital Region (NCR) — sometimes just a few kilometres apart, to trigger jurisdictional complications, resulting in fragmented investigations, multiple courts assuming jurisdiction and prolonged trials.

"The eventual benefit goes to the hardened criminals, which may not be in the interest of society or the nation," noted the bench in its order, stressing that the issue warranted serious consideration, including whether effective legislation was required to ensure optimal use of the existing legal framework.