Probe agencies, like judiciary, hit by lack of manpower, infrastructure: CJI

Bench was hearing plea about hundreds of criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs, both sitting and former, for years together

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said probe agencies such as the CBI suffered from the same dearth of manpower and infrastructure like the judiciary. Both were overburdened. “Just like us, investigative agencies are suffering from lack of manpower and infrastructure… Everybody says ‘CBI, CBI…’ We don’t want to demoralise the investigative agencies. They are overburdened… Similarly, one trial court handles 1000 cases. How do you expect them to function? We had asked for special courts to hear exclusively cases under specific legislations… but nothing,” Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana, heading a Special Bench of three judges, remarked orally. The Bench, also comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Surya Kant, was hearing a petition about the hundreds of criminal cases pending against MPs and MLAs, both sitting and former, for years together. Some of these cases, investigated by agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have been pending for over a decade.