Author: Press Trust of India
Publication: The Times of India
Date: March 28, 2011
URL: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-28/india/29353963_1_black-money-status-report-passport-case
The Supreme Court on Monday flayed the government
for not probing into specific sources of black money stashed in banks abroad
and asked the Centre to apprise it of its investigation into the threat to
national security posed by it.
The apex court also expressed its dismay that
the government's probe into the issue of black money was focused only on the
case involving Pune stud owner Hasan Ali Khan and no name of any other person
involved in stashing funds abroad has come out.
"No further information is coming out.
Only one individual is there. What about others?" a bench of justices
B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium,
who submitted to the bench, in a sealed cover, the Enforcement Directorate's
status report of its probe in the case.
After perusing the status report, the bench
criticised the steps taken by the government in the investigation of the matter
including that relating to the passport case against Khan.
"It is very difficult to be calm and
quiet after seeing the status report," the bench remarked.
"Why all these agencies were sleeping
since 2008? Why it moved when we stepped in? If writ petition had not been
filed, nothing would have happened," the bench observed.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking retrieval
of black money stashed by Indian citizens in banks abroad.
The PIL had been filed by former Union Law
Minister Ram Jethmalani.
The court reiterated its idea of setting up
a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising officers of Intelligence Bureau,
Research and Analysis Wing, Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement
Directorate to probe the entire issue related to the black money stashed in
banks abroad.
The solicitor general said the investigation
into the matter has revealed the involvement of a "power broker"
in it and sought to assure the court that substantial progress has been made
into the investigation of the case involving Khan.
He said the case concerning Khan was not simply
a case of forgery of passport but a case with far more serious implications.
Subramanium said the ED has taken serious
note of Khan's repeated statement seeking protection to his life and to his
family members.
The law officer said there was need for protection
to all the officers investigating the case rather.
During the last hearing on March 18 too, the
apex court had toyed with the idea of forming a Special Investigation Team
(SIT) to probe the malady of Indian black money stashed in banks abroad and
had asked the Centre to come up with its take on possible composition of the
SIT.
"In principle, do you have any objection
to setting up of SIT to look into the matter?" the bench had asked the
government, while observing, "We are not talking about one case but many
cases are involved in it. This is much wider."
It had told the Centre and the petitioners
to respond on the next date of hearing about its stand and the possible composition
of the SIT.
