4,500 cases pending against netas, SC says shocking

The top court on Thursday expressed shock over the number of pending cases against politicians. Nearly 4,500 criminal cases are pending against sitting and former legislators across the country, data from 24 High Courts have shown. The Supreme Court said the state of affairs is "shocking". "Of these, 174 cases are offences punishable with a life term in jail," the court said while hearing a petition seeking lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections. In Bengal and Punjab, some pending cases date back to early 1980s while in UP and Bihar, there are pending cases from 1991.