Supreme Court's Call for Special Courts

The Supreme Court of India emphasized the necessity of establishing exclusive courts to expedite trials in cases filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

• Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, leading a division bench, compared these special courts to an "emergency ward in a hospital".
• The aim is to accelerate trials under the UAPA and NIA, ensuring they are conducted without unnecessary delays.
• The CJI urged the government to proactively establish these special courts for quick resolution of such trials.

Evaluation of Lower Court Judges

There is a suggestion to "revisit" the traditional method of evaluating lower court judges based on their monthly case disposals, as it may negatively impact judges handling complex UAPA and NIA cases.

• The Supreme Court plans to address this concern to better reflect the judges' performance.

Special Judge Designation and Funding

• High courts should designate special judges for these trials, and the central government needs to provide "recurring and non-recurring" funds for establishing these courts.
• Once a special judge completes a trial, they may shift to handle other trials.

Existing and Planned Special Courts

• Punjab, Assam, and Bihar's high courts, in collaboration with their respective state governments, have agreed to set up such courts.
• Jharkhand already has a special court designated for expediting these cases.

Digital Arrest Scandals

The bench also addressed concerns about the significant financial losses due to digital arrest scams.

• Stakeholders and counsels were asked to propose steps to the attorney general to tackle this issue.
• AG R Venkataramani highlighted the necessity for "inter departmental ministerial discussion" and acknowledged progress made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Earlier directives allowed the CBI to initially investigate directly reported digital arrest scams.
• The CBI has been granted a "free hand" to investigate the involvement of bankers in these scams.

The Supreme Court underscored the urgent need for federal attention on digital arrest scandals.