Karnataka 'honey-trap' row: Supreme Court to hear PIL seeking independent probe into matter soon

The petitioner contended that very serious and troubling allegations made on the floor of the Karnataka state legislature that a person aspiring to be the Chief Minister of the State has been successful in honey trapping several persons, amongst whom are judges.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a PIL seeking a direction to probe an incident of alleged honey trapping a senior minister of Karnataka government and several others, including judges.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna said the matter would be taken on Monday or Tuesday, upon an urgent mentioning made by a counsel, Barun Kumar Singh on behalf of the petitioner Binay Kumar Singh.

The petitioner contended that very serious and troubling allegations made on the floor of the Karnataka state legislature i.e. Vidhan Soudha that a person aspiring to be the Chief Minister of the State has been successful in honey trapping several persons, amongst whom are judges. 

"The allegations have been made by a sitting minister who has claimed himself to be a victim, thereby lending credibility to the serious allegations. Not only that, another minister of the government has not only echoed the allegations made by the first minister, rather alleged that the scale and proportion of the scandal is at least ten times than what is currently visible," the plea said.

The petitioner contended that judges getting compromised by means like honey trapping poses serious threat to judicial independence and gravely undermines public confidence in the institution.

"Much murmurings have already been caused by multiple media reports and social media. In this backdrop, it is imperative that this court steps in to salvage the reputation and public confidence in judicial system of the country," the plea said.

The petitioner, who is a resident of Dhanbad, filed the plea on the basis of media reports.

He contended a compromised judiciary is a grave threat to democracy. 

"If judges can be blackmailed or coerced into delivering biased rulings, then the rule of law itself collapses, making way for tyranny, corruption, and injustice. The people’s faith in the judiciary depends on swift and uncompromised action in response to these allegations," the plea said.

The petitioner contended a Supreme Court-monitored investigation, led by a neutral and independent agency, is the only way to uncover the truth and restore public confidence in the judicial system. 

"Anything less would be an abdication of duty and an open invitation for further assaults on the judiciary’s independence. Democracy demands that this matter be addressed with the urgency, seriousness, and impartiality it deserves," the plea said.

The plea sought a direction that the incident should be investigated by an independent agency i.e. Central Bureau of Investigation or a Special Investigation Team comprising of police officers of integrity and who are not subject to control or influence of the State of Karnataka, and report be submitted to this court.

It also said the investigation should be monitored by this court or by a monitoring committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.

"The monitoring committee should also inquire into the role played by all authorities/persons who directly/indirectly benefitted from the incident," it said.

Karnataka State Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna triggered a major controversy in the state after he told the Legislative Assembly that he had been the target of a recent attempt at honey-trapping and that as many as 48 leaders from all parties had been targeted.

His response came after the issue of honey-trapping of legislators was raised by BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal with a statement that there were rumours of many Congress ministers being targeted by organised gangs.