SC go-ahead to probe ED officer investigating 2G case
New Delhi, June 27: The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the government to probe into allegations against a top Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer who is probing the high profile 2G and Aircel-Maxis cases.
Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram are being probed for alleged irregularities and graft in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance in Aircel-Maxis case.
The allegations against ED Joint Director Rajeshwar Singh were mentioned in a report submitted before the top court in a sealed envelope on Wednesday.
A vacation bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul also modified their earlier March 16, 2011, order that said that "no one including the newspapers shall interfere with the functioning of the CBI team and the officers of the Enforcement Directorate who are investigating".
Rajeshwar Singh was heading the ED team probing the 2G cases.
By the March 16, 2011, order the court had said it would take "serious cognizance of any endeavour made by any person or group of persons" to interfere with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED probe into the 2G scam cases.
Taking note that the charge-sheet has already been filed in the Aircel-Maxis case, the court on Wednesday said it was up to the government to take a call whether Singh was further required in the trial or investigation of the 2G and Aircel-Maxis cases.
At the outset of hearing in the pre-lunch session, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Vikramjit Banerjee handed over to the bench a report in a sealed cover levelling "serious allegation" against Rajeshwar Singh that have a bearing on national security.
Handing over the status report in a sealed cover, ASG Banerjee told the vacation bench: "We want to investigate but (top court) order comes in the way ... sensitive information about national security."
In the course of hearing, the bench also described the contents of the report as "highly sensitive" having a bearing on national security.
Saying, "we can't divulge" the report, the bench said: "The thing that have come (to our knowledge) is startling. Even in imagination we could not have thought of it."
As the senior counsel Rupinder Singh Suri appearing for Rajeshwar Singh and Subramanian Swamy told the bench that they were not aware of what had been handed over to the court, the bench said: "Too much damage have been caused. When appropriate time comes we will put everything on record."
As the bench said a person, who is investigating sensitive 2G spectrum case, should not be brought under cloud, Swamy said: "Nor should any cloud be created to make him move out."
Swamy urged the court to call for a report from the CBI Director and the ED about the allegations against Rajeshwar Singh.
Observing that it could not shut its eyes to all this, the bench said: "Something is very serious. It may be correct or it may not be correct."
"You seem to say that as he has been promoted, these allegations would not have been there," Justice Mishra said as Swamy pointed out that full evaluation of Rajeshwar Singh was done by all the agencies when Rajeshwar Singh was promoted from Deputy Director to Joint Director.
Even as senior counsel Suri and Swamy defended Rajeshwar Singh suggesting that the reports submitted to the court could be motivated, Justice Mishra said: "As a matter of fact, any allegation has to be investigated. At the same time, you must not be victimised."
"You are simply an officer. You can't be given a blank chit. You are accountable for every action of yours. You must be accountable," said the bench as Suri and Swamy drew the attention of the court towards the earlier order of the court protecting Rajeshwar Singh.
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Siddaramaiah will continue as K'taka CM under 'current situation': Minister Parameshwara
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday asserted that Siddaramaiah will continue as the Chief Minister for the full five-year term under the "current situation".
He, however, maintained that any decision regarding the leadership change rests solely with the Congress high command.
"We don't know anything (about leadership change). Who said there will be a change? Who will change? The AICC has to do it. Since they haven't said anything, should we keep guessing? When they want to make changes, the high command will say so; they might not make any changes either," Parameshwara told reporters.
Asked if Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister, he said, "Of course, he will, why shouldn't he? Siddaramaiah will continue under the current situation."
"If Siddaramaiah cannot continue, I'm not the one to say; it will not happen just because Parameshwara says so; the high command has to say," he added.
Amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah recently asserted that the party's government will remain in power for two more years and that he is the Chief Minister of the state.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
To a query about Shivakumar's aspirations to become the CM, the Home Minister said, "... He is our party state president, our senior leader and the Deputy Chief Minister. Who has to make him the Chief Minister? The high command has to respond, what they say is final. Let's wait until then."
In response to a question on the leadership issue causing a lot of confusion, Parameshwara asked, "Who created confusion? Did the Congress high command do it?"
Recalling that there was no explicit declaration in 2013 that Siddaramaiah would serve as the CM for five years, but he successfully completed his term until 2018, he said, "When Siddaramaiah was made CM in 2023, he has to be there for the full term. If he will not be there for the full term, high command has to decide."
Clarifying that the results of the upcoming by-polls in Bagalkote and Davanagere South will have no bearing on the CM's position, the senior Minister said, "Why should they be linked? Has anyone said there will be a change? Leave the BJP aside, we don't want their assessment. Should we run the administration based on what the BJP says?"
"There may be some discussion regarding a change in our party, but I'm not ready to say that there will be changes after the bypolls. Others can make their own personal assessments," he added.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
BJP MP and former CM Basavaraj Bommai recently said that the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress has taken a "short break" because of bypolls, and claimed that the state will witness a "political wrestling" for the Chief Minister's chair in May.
