MOSCOW, December 23 (RAPSI) - This morning, the State Duma passed a law in both the second and third reading to restore the supervisory functions of the Russian Supreme Court. The court will now be able to respond to verdicts announced by regional last-instance courts.

The bill was submitted to the lower house of parliament on September 17, 2013 by a group of United Russia members led by Vladimir Pligin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and Statebuilding. The Criminal Procedural Code will now be amended accordingly.

The law allows appeals to be submitted to the Supreme Court for overturning court rulings which have been reviewed under cassational procedure in the presidium of a republican, territorial or regional supreme court, a court of a federal city, a court of an autonomous region, autonomous district, or a district (naval) military court.