Four months after the capital was divided into 11 judicial districts,the Delhi High Court has agreed to grant the Delhi Police Special Cell a designated court to handle all the cases that the cell was investigating. Earlier this week,the Delhi High Court passed an administrative order which stated that all sessions trial cases except for those under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act will now be tried by the court of the second senior-most Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ-2) at Patiala House Courts complex. The order also stated that the transfer was with immediate effect. According to the order,all pre-trial proceedings such as remand of accused,submission of chargesheet,etc. of cases investigated by the Special Cell will be done in the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate,New Delhi,at Patiala House Courts complex. It,however,remains to be clarified whether the cases,which are in their final stage of trial as well as those in which judgments have been reserved,will also be transferred. A huge number of cases,including the high-profile IPL spot-fixing case,the Delhi serial blasts case,the cases against the various alleged modules of terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen,among others,which are presently being heard in various sessions courts in the city,will now be heard by a single judge. The hearing in the Delhi serial blasts case,which was scheduled to be heard before the court of ASJ Narinder Kumar at Tis Hazari on Wednesday,was deferred to next week as the court was informed about the High Court order. The hearing in the bail plea filed by seven accused in the IPL spot-fixing case was also deferred by the Saket court to Thursday,and will now be heard at the Patiala House Courts complex. The Delhi Police Special Cell had in February sent a representation to the High Court demanding a dedicated special court to hear its cases,citing the sensitive nature of these cases. The Cell said its cases needed to be transferred to a single court to ensure better security for its officers as well as the accused in the cases. Advocate M S Khan,who is representing several alleged Indian Mujahideen members,said the move may delay cases further. The purpose of a dedicated court is to dispose of cases expeditiously. This would be defeated if you transfer 100-150 cases to a single court, Khan said.
