The Supreme Court came down heavily on an NGO that sought a SIT probe into allegations of nexus among politicians, bureaucrats, journalists and a prominent corporate house, saying are more important matters that the court should set aside time for which need to be heard on a priority basis rather than hearing a plea for some roving inquiry on the basis of unsubstantiated documents.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Sanjay Kishan Kaul lambasted the NGO about documents it has been referring to allege nexus between politicians and corporate houses. “There are 65-75 people languishing in jail. When they wake up in the morning they do not know whether they will be able to see the light of another day. Judicial time is precious and that is our priority. I want my judges to focus on these cases,” the bench told the counsel for NGO. “You want us to order roving inquiry into the nexus on the basis of these documents. What is worth of these documents? Someone said to someone you have to meet so and so. Do you want us to go into all this? You should go before the criminal court with your allegations,” the bench told Mr Bhushan.
The bench asked the NGO whether it has any idea about the number of constitution bench cases pending before the top court or the number of cases referred to three-judge bench. In its order, the bench said, “Having heard the counsel for the petitioner we are of the view that the petitioner at this stage ought to be given an opportunity to file better particulars of the allegations that have been made in the PIL to seek the reliefs sought. The petitioner may do so within a period of six weeks from today.”
The bench virtually said that such PIL’s were a wastage of court time and referred to a PIL in which cost was imposed on a petitioner for seeking lowering of marriageable age for men from 21 to 18 years. The court had taunted the petitioner saying “You are 51 years old, why are you so interested in this? “.