New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to hear a petition filed jointly by 14 opposition parties alleging that the central government was misusing investigation agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. The petition was filed by opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, United Janata Dal, PRS, RJD, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray’s team), DMK.
Supreme Court Refusal: As the Supreme Court refused to hear the petition, the opposition parties withdrew the petition. Earlier, while recording its opinion in this regard, the court had said that the Central Intelligence Agency cannot lay down individual guidelines to deal with politicians during investigations. It also said that if the parties are aggrieved, they can approach the High Courts in the states where the cases are concerned.
The refusal to accept the petition of the opposition parties for hearing is considered as a big setback for them in this matter. Even today, the Congress has accused the central government of sending intelligence agencies to the state to conduct raids on the houses of candidates and leaders who are contesting the Karnataka elections. However, the Supreme Court has refused to hear the petition of the opposition parties.
Chief Justice’s barrage of questions: Supreme Court Chief Justice TY Chandrachud raised a barrage of questions before dismissing the plea. He raised doubts about the validity of the opposition petition and the possibility of hearing it. At that time, opposition lawyer Abhishek Manu asked Sanghvi, “Are you asking for the opposition parties to be exempted from investigation and punishment? Do you think that politicians have any special rights beyond the common man?” he asked.
Interrupted, Sanghvi said, “We are not demanding any protection for the opposition leaders. But we are demanding that the law be used fairly and impartially. The government is trying to weaken the opposition parties by using the central intelligence agencies. Our contention is that this is against democracy and the rule of law.”
However, the judge, who was unconvinced by Sanghvi’s argument, said, “This petition is exclusively for politicians. It does not seem that any consideration has been given to whether the rights of the common people have been affected by the corruption and criminal conspiracy that the petitioner claims. This can be resolved in Parliament itself without approaching the court.”
Details of Opposition Petition: “The central government is deploying central agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate with the aim of suppressing the parties that are against the BJP and preventing them from functioning. The central government is using this system to implicate opposition leaders in various cases. If the leaders against whom cases are filed compromise with the BJP, those cases are dropped. 95 percent of cases are against opposition leaders.
Violation of rules: Adequate pre and post regulations are not followed properly during arrests. The position of the opposition parties is that it should be followed properly. The petition stated that the Supreme Court should conduct an inquiry into the misuse of investigative bodies for political gain.
