Supreme Court Saves Crucial MV Offence Trials in UP, Sets Precedent for Justice

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In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has carved out three exceptions to a Uttar Pradesh law aimed at reducing the backlog of motor vehicle offence trials. The court's order, passed on January 22, ensures that non-compoundable cases, offences punishable with mandatory imprisonment, and repeat offences are exempt from the law. The court had taken note of the concerns raised by the Centre and the State, which had proposed the exceptions to save the law from being struck down. While dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) related to road accident reforms, the bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan observed that the blanket termination of old cases would be 'drastic' and lead to a lack of deterrence for repeat offenders. The court granted six weeks to the State's transport department to implement the amended section 9(1) of the 2023 Act, which exempts abatement of trials falling under the three exceptions. The order highlights the importance of maintaining the gravity of each offence and the need for a deterrent to stop repeat offenders. The issue concerns a huge number of cases, with over 1 million pending in UP courts and 89.7 million e-challans pending across the country. The court's order sets a precedent for justice and ensures that critical MV offence trials are not compromised. The court's ruling is a significant victory for those who had challenged the constitutional validity of the UP Criminal Law (Composition of Offences and Abatement of Trials) Act, 2023. The order has also set a precedent for the Centre and State to consider the gravity of each offence and the need for a deterrent for repeat offenders.