New Delhi: A journalist has moved the Supreme Court for a probe into corruption in media in a case of the AugustaWestland chopper deal with Italy.
A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Arun Mishra asked the petitioner, Hari Jaisingh, to serve a copy of the petition to the counsel for the CBI and Enforcement Directorate, which are already probing the irregularities in the deal. The Bench directed that this petition be heard along with a PIL on which the notice had already been ordered to the CBI and others.
In his writ petition, Mr Jaisingh sought a direction for a probe relating to national security and instances of corruption among certain members of the Indian press. The present petition is filed with the purpose of obtaining directions from the court to monitor the ongoing investigations in the AgustaWestland Chopper Acquisition scam. The petitioner said he is filing the petition strictly in the public interest since grave issues of national security, the right to life and the freedom of press are at stake as rights under Article 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution have been infringed.
He said as per Italian investigative report, it was admitted in the Milan Court of Appeals decision, “the amounts agreed between AgustaWestland representatives, Giuseppe Orsi and Spagnolini Bruno, with the mediators, Haschke Guido, Gerosa Carlo and Christian Michel, were also inclusive of bribes to be paid to Indian public officials to perform deeds which were against their office duties.” The report also highlights the role of Christ-ian Michel that around Rs 217 crore (Euros 30m) was allocated to him by Giuseppe Orsi (the CEO of Finmeccanica) and Bruno Spaglioni (the CEO of AgustaWestland) for managing different government officials in India. Of this, around Rs 50 crore was set aside specifically to “manage the Indian Media.”
