Now Reading: SC orders Karnataka to set up UAPA court, caps cases at 12-15
-
01
SC orders Karnataka to set up UAPA court, caps cases at 12-15
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Karnataka government to provide infrastructure for an additional special court to try UAPA cases exclusively, with each court handling no more than 12-15 cases. The…
The Story in Brief
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Karnataka government to provide infrastructure for an additional special court to try UAPA cases exclusively, with each court handling no more than 12-15 cases. The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, said the state cannot have the luxury of prolonging trials for years.
The direction came while hearing a plea by Shahid Khan, a PFI conspiracy accused who has been in custody for nearly four years. The prosecution plans to examine 707 witnesses. The Times of India reports the court called the state's prosecution timeline "absurd as a fairytale". The court ordered three protected witnesses to be examined within three months, after which Khan can seek bail.
The Indian Opinion
The state's slow pace in UAPA trials is rightly criticised, but one-sided focus on procedural delays can obscure the gravity of charges. The accused has been in jail for four years without trial, a rights concern. Yet the court's limit of 12-15 cases per judge may not solve systemic overload. The test: will the three-month deadline for protected witnesses actually be met? That will indicate if the new court brings speed or more of the same.
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
