The Jharkhand High Court has expressed displeasure over the CBI's delay in conducting trials in cases involving MPs and MLAs, making strong observations about the agency's approach to investigations and production of witnesses before trial courts.
The court's concern came to the fore after it was informed that 12 of the 32 accused in the Alkatra (bitumen) scam, which took place in undivided Bihar in 1997, had died during the course of the trial. Proceedings against the remaining 20 accused are still pending. The court subsequently directed the lower court to produce records of two cases.
The matter was heard by a Bench of Justice Rangan Mukhopadhyay in connection with pending cases involving MPs and MLAs. The Supreme Court has directed that criminal cases against elected representatives be disposed of expeditiously. However, several such cases in Jharkhand are still awaiting trial.
During the hearing, the court was informed that the CBI had filed chargesheets against 32 accused following its investigation into the Alkatra scam of 1997. The list of accused also includes former Bihar minister Ilyas Hussain.
The court was further informed that 12 accused had died while the trial was underway, while proceedings against the remaining 20 were still continuing.
Taking note of the prolonged delay, the High Court expressed displeasure over the CBI's handling of the cases. It observed that the agency spends considerable time collecting documents but fails to show similar urgency in producing witnesses before the court during the trial.
The High Court directed the lower court to produce records of two cases out of the 11 pending matters related to MPs and MLAs.
During the proceedings, the CBI also informed the court that witnesses in several MP/MLA cases could not be traced at their recorded addresses, creating difficulties in securing their presence during the trial.