Disclose more names in black money case: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the government to reveal more names of account holders in Liechtenstein bank in Germany within three days.

It also reconstituted a special investigation team formed in 2011 for probing black money cases. The court urged former apex court judges, justices M B Shah and Arijit Pasayat to act as chairman and vice chairman of the SIT respectively.

While ordering the government to issue notification for appointments of judges within three weeks, a three-judge bench presided by Justice H L Dattu also directed for releasing the names of eight other account holders of Liechtenstein bank to PIL petitioner Ram Jethmalani.

The government had on April 29 submitted a list containing 26 names and documents of account holders of the bank in a sealed cover. It had disclosed the names of 18 people on the ground that the prosecution was started against 17 people by the Income Tax department. One of them had expired. 

It, however, did not reveal the names of other people stating investigation had been concluded and no evidence of tax evasion was found against them. Their names were given in a separate sealed cover.

The government had then relied upon the apex court verdict of July 4, 2011, which stated, “there is no presumption that every account holder in banks of Liechtenstein has acted unlawfully…it would inappropriate to order the disclosure of such names where no wrongdoing has been found.”