Plea to make trade policies with China public; SC asks petitioner to serve copy to Centre's lawyer

The Supreme Court on Friday asked a petitioner, who has sought a direction to the government to make public its trade policies with China, to serve the copy of the plea to the Centre’s counsel.

“Two weeks’ time is granted to serve the copy of the petition to the counsel for the Union of India. List thereafter,” said a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde.

“You serve the copy of the petition to the counsel for Union of India. We will see,” the top court orally told the lawyer.

The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, was hearing a plea which has referred to media reports and alleged that a state and a private company had signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) for business with China-based firms.

The plea, filed by Jammu-based lawyer Supriya Pandita, has referred to the standoff between the two armies at multiple locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for the last several months.

It said that the Centre had also banned 59 Chinese mobile app citing national security reasons.

"While the ban on these mobile apps may be a welcome step but on the other hand allowing few select business house or few select state government to enter in to MoU with Chinese business house or stakeholders from China sends a wrong message to the people of India," said the plea, filed through advocates Om Prakash Parihar and Dushyant Tiwari.

The plea has also sought the apex court's direction to the Centre and others to "terminate" the MoUs signed with Chinese firms.