'Fast track graft cases'

As corruption continues to hit headlines everyday, Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia on Monday took a major initiative asking the Supreme Court, high courts and districts courts to expedite all corruption cases. Satya Prakash reports.

As corruption continues to hit headlines everyday, Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia on Monday took a major initiative asking the Supreme Court, high courts and districts courts to expedite all corruption cases.

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In letters addressed to chief justices of all high courts, he asked them "to ensure cases in respect of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988 be fast-tracked and taken up for hearing on a priority basis".

Justice Kapadia also directed the Registry of the Supreme Court to undertake similar exercise to expedite the hearing of cases pending under PCA.

Accordingly, these cases have been directed to be immediately processed and sent to the listing branch for being listed 'high on board' (daily list of cases) before various benches of the court, Supreme Court secretary general AIS Cheema said.

The CJI's initiative has implications for cleaning up the system plagued with the malaise of corruption as thousands of PCA cases against public servants (bureaucrats and politicians) are pending in various courts.