Allahabad: Allahabad High Court on Thursday summoned a report from the Uttar Pradesh Government and Election Commission of India about details of pending criminal cases against all MPs and MLAs from the State who may have criminal antecedents.

A similar report has also been called from the U.P. Government and EC containing details of criminal cases pending against all elected Zila Panchayat chairpersons and Block Pramukhs.

The bench called for the report, so that directions might be issued for expeditious disposal of criminal trials in those cases and monitoring of the same.

The bench comprising Justices Imtiaz Murtaza and Amar Saran passed the order on a writ petition filed by Karan Singh, an elected member of the Zila Panchayat, Hamirpur.

The court called for the records of criminal antecedents of elected MPs, MLAs and others, as there were allegations of pollution of the electoral process by abduction of voters, and criminalisation of politics has become a concern in our society.

The bench said, "these orders are necessary because it is imperative that law breakers do not become law makers and after conviction, steps can be taken for removal of such criminal politicians from their public offices."

"They are least concerned with issues of public good or social importance."

Three months' time has been granted to the Government to furnish the list of pending criminal cases of MPs, MLAs, Block Pramukhs and chairpersons of Zila Panchayat with criminal antecedents. The Court will hear the case in the second week of July 2006. -- UNI

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