Tell all or face the music: SC to govt on black bucks
30 Oct 2014 5:24 AM IST
Expressing dismay over government’s complacency in revealing all the names which it had withheld citing treaty issues with Switzerland Chief Justice HL Dattu said, ‘Why are you trying to protect people having bank accounts in foreign countries? Why are you providing a protective umbrella for all these people? The order was passed in open court in the presence of solicitor general and the new regime can’t ask for modification of order. We cannot touch our order and we won’t change even a word of it.’
Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi’s repeated pleas that it can disclose names only after conducting probes on illegality of bank accounts was outrightly rejected by the bench. ‘Provide all information and the court would direct investigation to be done by SIT or any other agency including CBI,’ the bench, comprising justices Dattu, Ranjana Prakash Desai and Madan B Lokur said.
At the end of the 30-minute hearing, Rohatgi said the government has received 500 names of account holders from different countries such as Germany. The CJI asked the Centre not to indulge in any kind of probe on its own and said that investigation would never be complete in his lifetime if it is done by the government. ‘We can’t leave the issue of bringing back black money to government. It will never happen during our time,’ it added.
Soon after the SC’s ultimatum, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre is not interested in protecting anybody and will follow the court orders. ‘The government is not interested in protecting anybody. We have no difficulty in placing the entire list and the same will be placed before the court tomorrow (Wednesday),’ Jaitley said.
‘The government has already given the list to the court constituted Special Investigating Team (SIT) on 27 June. The government is keen that by whatever procedure in accordance with law we must get to the root of the matter,’ he added. While refraining from commenting on whether the government will make the names public, Jaitley said, ‘The truth about these names and also these accounts must come out so that penal action can be taken against the people and the money lying there can be brought back to India. The government is also keen that the procedure followed must be such that the reciprocating countries continue to cooperate with India.’
With the directive coming from the SC, the ball is now in the government’s court and all eyes will be on union finance ministry to see whose names it will submit before the court in the midst of severe criticism from all sides.
Already, under pressure from the opposition leaders, who are accusing the government of ‘selective leaks’, the NDA government has an onerous task on hand in preparing a draft which would include big names. On Tuesday, the bleat over black money failed to draw attention as Centre’s list of three persons to the SC did not carry any weighty name except that of Pradip Burman, director of the Burman Group, who has already endorsed the legality of his foreign account.
Earlier, on Monday the Centre’s affidavit had said that every account held by an Indian in a foreign bank may not be illegal and the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21 should be upheld. Reminding the apex court of treaties that prevented it from revealing the information, the affidavit said that the government has to follow the procedures. Senior Supreme Court advocate and the main petitioner in the black money case, Ram Jethmalani, had slammed the Centre over the revelations and said, ‘It is a case of mountain in labour producing a mouse.’
Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi’s repeated pleas that it can disclose names only after conducting probes on illegality of bank accounts was outrightly rejected by the bench. ‘Provide all information and the court would direct investigation to be done by SIT or any other agency including CBI,’ the bench, comprising justices Dattu, Ranjana Prakash Desai and Madan B Lokur said.
At the end of the 30-minute hearing, Rohatgi said the government has received 500 names of account holders from different countries such as Germany. The CJI asked the Centre not to indulge in any kind of probe on its own and said that investigation would never be complete in his lifetime if it is done by the government. ‘We can’t leave the issue of bringing back black money to government. It will never happen during our time,’ it added.
Soon after the SC’s ultimatum, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre is not interested in protecting anybody and will follow the court orders. ‘The government is not interested in protecting anybody. We have no difficulty in placing the entire list and the same will be placed before the court tomorrow (Wednesday),’ Jaitley said.
‘The government has already given the list to the court constituted Special Investigating Team (SIT) on 27 June. The government is keen that by whatever procedure in accordance with law we must get to the root of the matter,’ he added. While refraining from commenting on whether the government will make the names public, Jaitley said, ‘The truth about these names and also these accounts must come out so that penal action can be taken against the people and the money lying there can be brought back to India. The government is also keen that the procedure followed must be such that the reciprocating countries continue to cooperate with India.’
With the directive coming from the SC, the ball is now in the government’s court and all eyes will be on union finance ministry to see whose names it will submit before the court in the midst of severe criticism from all sides.
Already, under pressure from the opposition leaders, who are accusing the government of ‘selective leaks’, the NDA government has an onerous task on hand in preparing a draft which would include big names. On Tuesday, the bleat over black money failed to draw attention as Centre’s list of three persons to the SC did not carry any weighty name except that of Pradip Burman, director of the Burman Group, who has already endorsed the legality of his foreign account.
Earlier, on Monday the Centre’s affidavit had said that every account held by an Indian in a foreign bank may not be illegal and the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21 should be upheld. Reminding the apex court of treaties that prevented it from revealing the information, the affidavit said that the government has to follow the procedures. Senior Supreme Court advocate and the main petitioner in the black money case, Ram Jethmalani, had slammed the Centre over the revelations and said, ‘It is a case of mountain in labour producing a mouse.’
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