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Madras High Court Orders Faster Trials in MP/MLA Cases, Tightens Curbs on Adjournments

Acting on a Supreme Court mandate, the bench moved to enforce time‑bound progress in prosecutions of MPs and MLAs.

Overview

  • Trial courts were told to expedite all lawmaker cases where no higher‑court stay is operating, with priority for matters pending over five years.
  • Special courts must frame charges at the earliest in cases with filed chargesheets, with the High Court warning against repeated delays at the charging stage.
  • Where charges are framed, judges were directed to complete evidence quickly and to examine witnesses without granting adjournments once they appear.
  • The court recorded 216 pending criminal cases against sitting and former MPs/MLAs across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, including 193 in Tamil Nadu and 23 in Puducherry.
  • Counsel must file within two weeks a complete list of matters under interim orders, the Registrar General will gather inputs on infrastructure and digital gaps, and the case is listed next on November 25.