Govt opposes monitoring of PNB scam probe by Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Centre on Friday strongly opposed the Supreme Court ordering a probe into the Rs 11,000 crore Punjab National Scam, saying that there cannot be a “parallel inquiry” and “parallel monitoring” in the investigations being carried out.

Making this submission before a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, attorney-general K.K. Venugopal also asked the court as to why the CBI should file a status report on the investigation in a sealed cover to the court.

The A-G submitted that even before the investigating agencies start probing the matter, people come to courts with public interest litigations. “Is there any justification for anyone to come to this court by filing a PIL and say that the court should be informed about the status of the investigation? There can’t be a parallel inquiry and parallel monitoring by the courts,” the A-G said.

Opposing the PILs, the A-G asked the court as to why such petitions should be entertained unless there was something wrong shown by the petitioner. If the court orders any parallel probe it would bring down the morale of the investigating agencies, he said.

Irked by the remark of the petitioner, advocate J.P. Danda, that the A-G had not read his petition, the CJI said, “You withdraw your remark. We will not hear this matter today. We will hear it on April 9.”

The petitioner cited several instances where the farmers had to either commit suicide or face the wrath of the bank officials over their inability to pay back the loan. It said Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Chowksi continued with the fraud for six long years and the prime accused, along with his family, easily managed to leave the country just before the bubble burst.