SC worried over pendency of criminal appeals in various HCs

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Wednesday expressed concern over the pendency of criminal appeals in various High Courts for a considerable period of time and sought reports on the issue.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai noted that a large number of cases are pending in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Bombay, and Orissa and sought an action plan from the high courts on the issue.

It directed the high courts to inform it about the total number of convicts awaiting the hearing of their appeals, segregation of single judge and Division Bench matters, steps proposed to ensure hearing of cases among others.

Observing that pendency would affect the right to speedy trial protected under Article 21 of the Constitution, the apex court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to assist it in the matter.

During the hearing, the bench was informed that criminal appeals in Allahabad High Court have been pending since 1980.

Expressing surprise, the bench said, “The person might have committed an offence in the 1970s, considering that the trial concluded the hearing in five or six years, he might have approached the court in 1980. If he was 40 years old then, he must be over 80 years old now.”

The top court was hearing a plea seeking bail in a case under section 302 (murder) of IPC where the man has been given life imprisonment by the trial court. The appeal was pending before the Allahabad High Court for a considerable period of time and by the time the man approached the apex court, he had already undergone three years of imprisonment.

The top court was hearing a plea seeking bail in a case under section 302 (murder) of

IPC where the man has been given life imprisonment by the trial court