MOSCOW, January 24 - RAPSI. The parliament's committee on civil, criminal and commercial legislation backed a bill expending a range of commercial cases subject to truncated procedure, and recommended the State Duma to pass a bill in the first reading on February 8, the committee told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

A bill developed by the Supreme Commercial Court and introduced on April 12, 2011, is meant to reduce the load on judges. The bill was drafted upon the order of President Dmitry Medvedev.

A new version of the bill proposes to increase the amount of claim up to 300,000 rubles ($9,670) for legal entities and up to 100,000 rubles ($3,230) for individual entrepreneurs which are to be considered under truncated procedure.

The bill also stipulates expedited procedure for administrative cases with the amount of claim within 100,000 rubles ($3,230).

According to the bill, the cases subject to truncated procedure will be, as it is now, considered in the absence of parties. Meanwhile, the parties will study the arguments produced by opponents, remarks and objections via the Internet, and the access to the documents related to the case will be limited.