SC flays govt for not implementing orders on black money

Stepping up its attack against the Centre on the black money menace, the Supreme Court ( SC) on Tuesday said that the refusal to furnish names and other details of Indians who have stashed money worth Rs 70 lakh crore illegally in foreign banks despite an order three years ago amounts to contempt of court.

Putting the revenue secretary squarely in the dock, a Bench headed by Justice H. L. Dattu directed him to explain in an affidavit within a week the reason for non-implementation of the order, dated July 4, 2011.

The SC slammed solicitor general Mohan Parasaran for citing recusal of Justice B. P. Jeevan Reddy, chairman of the special investigation team ( SIT) formed by the court, as the reason for the delay. The Bench noticed that the retired Judge had expressed his inability to head the SIT in 2011 itself but it was conveyed to the court by the Centre on Tuesday.

"What has the furnishing of the details of the individuals got to do with the recusal of the chairman of the SIT? In the order we had said that the details had to be given forthwith, which means immediately in July 2011 itself. You did not have to wait for the SIT report for it", the Bench told Parasaran.

" If justice Reddy has expressed his inability to assist, we will have a new chairman, and from now on SIT will take over and carry out investigation. But you had to give the information to the petitioner. Three years down the line, you have not done anything while the order was crystal clear as to what was to be done and this is nothing but total contempt," the Bench added.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed in 2009 by senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who had said, " Rs 70 lakh crore of black money was stashed abroad in foreign tax havens" and sought the court's intervention on the issue as " successive governments did nothing".

Courtesy: Mail Today