Lok Pal: SC asks for status report

Taking note of delay in the Lok Pal bill, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file a report on the current status of the long-intend...

Taking note of delay in the Lok Pal bill, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file a report on the current status of the long-intended legislation.

A bench of Justices Y.K. Sabharwal, A.R. Lakhsmanan and C.K. Thakker gave the Centre two weeks to file the report.

The direction came during hearing of a petition by an NGO, Common Cause, challenging the government’s refusal to grant permission to prosecute former Petrolem Minister and Congress leader Captain Satish Sharma in connection with the 1995 petrol pump allotment scam.

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Sharma was boooked in January 1996 following a complaint by late H D Shourie, who was the director of Common Cause. He had alleged that Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry officials showed favour while allotting petrol pump and gas agencies by abusing their official position as public servants.

Shourie had also raised the broader issue of corruption in high places and prayed that some mechanism like Lok Pal be put in place to check this.

Sharma’s case later reached the Supreme Court, which imposed a penalty of Rs. 50 lakh for the arbitrary allotments, but later waived it. It had directed the CBI to investigate the case and find out whether any offence was committed.

However, the agency, after investigation, chose to file a closure report, saying the Home Ministry had declined permission to prosecute Sharma.

Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More