SHILLONG, June 24 –Meghalaya government Tuesday said that it intended to pursue for setting up of an ‘independent’ High Court for the State, reports PTI. Law Minister BG Momin told this to Opposition NCP MLA Ardhendu Chaudhuri in the State Assembly during Question Hour.
However, there was no proposal to set up a single or full bench of the High Court at Tura in Garo Hills, Momin said replying to a supplementary. He said the place of the independent High Court would normally be the state headquarters. Meghalaya, along with some of the other neighbouring North Eastern states, is currently served by a Shillong bench of the Gauhati High Court.
On a seperate question, the Law Minister said three fast track courts as recommended by the 11th Finance Commission were created at Shillong, Tura and Jowai in 2002 for trial of pending criminal cases of two years and above. Momin said the Shillong fast track court disposed of 39 criminal cases out of 72 transferred from the respective district court. The Tura court disposed of 117 cases out of 268 and Jowai four out of 162 cases. To a question on creating more fast track courts, the minister said the Finance Commission had allotted only three for the state and other districts were crovered by those already set up.