Centre opposes PIL in Supreme Court on PNB fraud, says probe already on
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday opposed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking probe into the role of PNB's top management in the Rs 11,300 crore scam and extradition of diamond trader Nirav Modi who is alleged to be involved in it.
Opposing the PIL, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that FIR had already been filed in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case and a probe was going on.
As Venugopal rose to oppose the PIL, petitioner lawyer Vineet Dhanda urged the bench to issue a notice to the Centre as the "kingpin of the scam Nirav Modi" had run away with the "common man's savings."
The court then witnessed some heated exchanges between Dhanda and the bench after Justice Chandrachud described the PIL as a "publicity oriented litigation."
"It is a publicity-oriented litigation. You have to make averment that the government is not investigating. We must allow the government to investigate. These are the petitions playing to the gallery. Let us not pre-empt the jurisdiction of the government (to investigate a scam)," Justice Chandrachud said.
Taking exception to the observation from the bench, Dhanda said: "The Court is insulting me," and if the PIL was being seen as "something to gain publicity from" then he would withdraw it and let the court take suo motu cognisance of the scam and look into it.
He told the bench that he had been practicing in the top court for the last 16 years and did not need to file PIL for publicity.
Telling the bench that the entire country was watching it, Dhanda said that the scam of such a magnitude has jolted the morale of the customers (account holders) and involved the interest of the country.
"If they (Government) are so efficient, why scams are taking place," Dhanda said, pointing to liquor baron Vijay Mallya leaving the country after making a Rs 9,000 crore hole in the coffers of a consortium of banks.
Dhanda said: "What he is opposing -- let him state in an affidavit."
At this Justice Chandrachud said: "The way you are pressing your plea, the purpose is to gain publicity."
Justice Khanwilkar asked Dhanda how he was arguing his plea in person. "Did you take the permission of the court for this." To which, Dhanda said that he was to be represented by his father J.P.Dhanda, who had fallen ill.
Telling the petitioner that court would like to hear the matter, Chief Justice Misra directed the next hearing to be held on March 16.
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Modi should leverage his ties with world leaders to de-escalate war in West Asia: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India can play a meaningful role in de-escalation in West Asia, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong relations with the warring countries and their neighbours.
He said Pakistan was leveraging ties with Iran and the United States, and that any effort towards ending the war should be welcomed.
"As I said in the House (Assembly), we would like the war to end as soon as possible. The role that the prime minister can play may not be possible for anyone else because of his good relations with all these countries," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He, however, said any escalation would not be easy to manage.
"Any such move by US President Donald Trump, despite the long history of Iran resisting external domination, would not be easy," the chief minister said.
Asked about Pakistan mediating in the war, he said, "I will simply say that if any country can play a role in preventing this war, no one should have any objection to it."
He added, "I will repeat what I said … our prime minister has good and close relations with all countries — whether it is Israel, the United States, Iran, or the countries around Iran. If those relationships can be used to make some progress and help ease the situation, it would be a good thing."
Abdullah said attacks by terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in India, as suggested by a report from the United States, are not unlikely.
Meanwhile, he asserted that any efforts to end the war, be it from Pakistan, must not be resisted.
"Pakistan is using its good relations with Iran and the United States to its advantage, and it has done so. How can we object to that? If that angle helps in stopping the war, would you want them not to act and let the war continue? We want the war to stop. If any country can play a role in that, it should. And if we can play an even better role, then we should do so," he said.
On unemployment in J-K, the chief minister said the issue cannot be resolved overnight, and government jobs alone are not the solution.
He stressed the need to explore alternative avenues, highlighting the importance of Mission Yuva in promoting entrepreneurship.
"Mission Yuva provides not just funding but also support in preparing DPRs and post-startup assistance, such as marketing. In just nine months, distributing Rs 1,000 crore and approving numerous schemes is a significant achievement," he said.
Abdullah credited the coordination between the government and Jammu and Kashmir Bank for the scheme's progress.
