138 graft cases stalled due to Supreme Court stays: CBI

NEW DELHI: The CBI told the Supreme Court on Monday that despite a statutory ban on higher courts staying trial in corruption cases, the apex court's stay on 45 appeals had resulted in trials in 138 cases under Prevention of Corruption Act getting stalled.

Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar informed a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud that some of these appeals were pending in the SC for the last 15 years and CBI investigating officers now feared that any further delay in restarting the trials would result in losing evidence.

Lapse of time has a serious impact on producing evidence through witnesses in criminal trials, especially in corruption cases, the SG said and requested the court for vacation of stay granted on the petitions filed by various accused persons from across the country who were prosecuted under PC Act by the CBI.

The bench agreed to list the appeals for hearing on August 7. The SG said stays in graft cases were granted despite a statutory ban under Section 19(3)(c) of the PC Act, which provides, "No court shall stay the proceedings under this Act on any other ground and no court shall exercise the powers of revision in relation to any interlocutory order passed in any inquiry, trial, appeal or other proceedings."