Probe agencies, like judiciary, hit by lack of manpower, infrastructure: CJI
The Hindu
Bench was hearing plea about hundreds of criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs, both sitting and former, for years together
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said probe agencies such as the CBI suffered from the same dearth of manpower and infrastructure like the judiciary. Both were overburdened. “Just like us, investigative agencies are suffering from lack of manpower and infrastructure… Everybody says ‘CBI, CBI…’ We don’t want to demoralise the investigative agencies. They are overburdened… Similarly, one trial court handles 1000 cases. How do you expect them to function? We had asked for special courts to hear exclusively cases under specific legislations… but nothing,” Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana, heading a Special Bench of three judges, remarked orally. The Bench, also comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant, was hearing a petition about the hundreds of criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs, both sitting and former, for years together. Some of these cases, investigated by agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have been pending for over a decade.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.