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Will not allow court to be used as platform: SC

SC anguished over news report on CBI DIG Sinha's allegations
Last Updated 20 November 2018, 08:31 IST

The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that it would not allow the top court to be used as a platform for the people to come and make allegations against anybody, saying, "we will set it right."

Anguished over the news report publishing verbatim the allegations made by an IPS officer Manish Kumar Sinha, a bench presided over by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "We want to know what is going on."

"This court is not a platform for people to come and say what they want to. This is a place for adjudication of legal rights. We want to set it right and we will settle it once for all," CJI Gogoi told F S Nariman, who wanted to clarify on the news report about CBI director Alok Verma's response to the CVC report.

The bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph, however, referred to Sinha's application which was mentioned by advocate Sunil Fernandes on Monday for urgent listing on Tuesday along with Verma's petition.

Sinha, who was supervising the investigation into a bribery case lodged against Special Director Rakesh Asthana on October 15, had challenged his transfer to Nagpur on October 24, after feud between Verma and Asthana had come out in open and both were sent on leave after being divested of all power. Sinha's application making allegations against the top brass of the government was published by most of the news papers.

"Our effort was to maintain sanctity of the institution but it (concern) is not shared by anyone here," the bench said. The person was told to maintain confidentiality but his application has been published in all newspapers, the bench pointed out. The court's outbursts came as Nariman sought to clarify that the news report handed over to him by the bench in the morning was related to Verma's response to the CVC inquiry on October 16 and not about his response to the top court.

The court once again handed over copy of some news papers to Nariman, orally asking him to respond on November 29, the date already fixed for hearing Verma's plea against the order divesting him of his power as CBI chief.

During the hearing, advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Pooja Dhar sought to make some clarification which the court disallowed, saying, "Nobody from the court is under any cloud." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought to point out that a complaint was made by the CVC against leakage of its report. On this, the bench said, "We will not hear anything and anybody today."

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(Published 20 November 2018, 08:31 IST)

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