Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Aug 10
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has directed the administrations of the two Union Territories to submit updated information on criminal cases pending investigation or trial against sitting and former lawmakers.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Muhammad Yousuf Wani issued the direction while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation concerning the monitoring of criminal cases against Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies.
The court asked the administrations of J&K and Ladakh to place fresh status reports on record by September 9, the next date fixed for the proceedings.
The Bench noted that the latest reports available before it were several years old.
The J&K Home Department had submitted a status report dated July 30, 2025, while the Ladakh Home Department’s report was filed on February 17, 2023.
The judges observed that considerable time had passed since those reports were submitted and that there must have been developments in the cases during the intervening period.
The proceedings form part of a wider judicial exercise to monitor criminal cases involving elected representatives.
The High Court registered the suo motu PIL in 2021 following directions issued by India’s Supreme Court on September 16, 2020.
The Supreme Court had directed chief justices of high courts to establish special benches to monitor the progress of criminal cases against sitting and former legislators.
It had expressed concern that such cases, including those involving allegations of corruption and money laundering, should not remain pending indefinitely because of repeated adjournments or interim stays.
The apex court had also said that, where necessary, proceedings should be conducted on a day-to-day basis and that petitions seeking to quash criminal trials should be dealt with expeditiously.
The latest order by the J&K and Ladakh High Court seeks to establish the current position of the cases and assess the progress made since the earlier reports were filed.
The administrations have been given until the next hearing to provide the court with updated details.
