JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Friday slammed the Delhi Police for failing to take custodial interrogation of anyone in the cash-for-vote scam that hit the UPA I during the trust vote in 2008.
“Has it not occurred to you that some of them require custodial interrogation,” a bench of Justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha asked.
“Look, this is not the way to probe the offence of such a serious nature,” the Bench said, perusing the status report filed by the Delhi police in the case.
The court said that it was fully dissatisfied with the probe so far undertaken in the complaint filed by the Lok Sabha secretary general.
“We are not happy at all with the probe done by the Delhi Police. No substantial progress has been made in two years. We are really concerned. Investigation must move fast and it must be brought to its logical conclusion,” the Court said.
It said that there was absolutely nothing that seemed to move forward since the incident happened.
The Bench also expressed its indignation over the failure of the Delhi police’s Crime Branch in giving any reason for the delay in its probe even after the lapse of two and half year.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal submitted that the Police had gone into the statements of the witnesses and sent the materials for forensic examination.
“Except narrating the story told to you by some of them (witnesses), you have not done anything,” the Bench said.
Fresh report
It gave two weeks to the Delhi Police to file fresh status report in the public interest litigation filed by former chief election commissioner J M Lyngdoh seeking constitution of special investigation team to probe the issue that rocked the UPA-I government during the trust vote in July 2008.
Three BJP MPs – Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora– had waved wads of currency notes inside the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2008, alleging they were given bribes to vote in favour of the government during the trust vote following the withdrawal of the support by Left parties.