Bhubaneswar: A total of 137 sitting and former MPs and MLAs in Odisha are facing criminal cases.
This was revealed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling in the state assembly on Monday.
In a written statement, Minister Mahaling mentioned that 39 criminal cases have been registered against 22 sitting and former MPs from the state.
Similarly, 418 criminal cases have been registered against 115 sitting and former MLAs in Odisha.
Of the total 457 criminal cases, 198 are political in nature, according to Minister Mahaling’s statement in response to a question from Rairakhol BJD MLA Prasanna Acharya.
The Minister further noted that 384 cases are still under trial, while 14 cases have been concluded by the courts.
The Minister also mentioned that the state government has introduced several measures to speed up the disposal of cases involving sitting and former legislators.
The government has set up special courts to hear these cases and special public prosecutors have been appointed to ensure faster proceedings.
Additionally, he stated in the written statement that the state government has established 14 special courts in Odisha to expedite the disposal of cases against sitting and former legislators.
