New Delhi, Jul 15: Coming down heavily on Delhi Police for its “callous approach” in probing the 2008 ‘cash-for-vote scam', the Supreme Court today asked why it has not taken action so far against those involved in the case. “We are not happy at all with the probe done by the Delhi Police. This is not the way to probe the offence of such serious nature,” a bench of justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha said.
The court expressed concern that no progress has been made by the police in the case. “Investigation has been done with callousness on the complaint filed by Lok Sabha Secretary,” it said.
The bench said it was “fully dis-satisfied” with the status report filed by the police and pulled it up for not carrying out custodial interrogation.
“No substantial progress has been made in two years. We are really concerned. Investigation must move fast and it must be brought to its logical conclusion,” it said.
Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal assured the court that the investigation will be completed in two months after the bench severely criticised the police for not conducting proper probe and failing to take action against those involved in the scam which relates the trust vote faced by the UPA government in July 2008.
The court was hearing a petition filed by former Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh seeking directions to the government to take action against politicians involved in the scam.
As soon as the matter came up for hearing, the bench expressed surprise over the contents of the status report filed by the city police in the case containing just the statements made by some MPs.
“This is not investigation. You are telling a story to the court on the basis of statement made by some people. There is no inference drawn up by you,” the bench said, asking the police why no custodial interrogation has been done so far in the case.
“We are fully dis-satisfied with the status report,” the bench said, asking the police to come out with proper action taken report within two weeks.
Rawal tried to mollify the court saying that probe was taking time because of delay in getting forensic report and assured the judges that it will be completed in two months. Lyngdoh had alleged in the petition that though the entire nation was shocked by the spectacle of three BJP MPs displaying wads of currency notes in Parliament as bribe money to vote in favour of the UPA during the 2008 trust vote, no action has so far been taken against those guilty.
According to the petition, though the incident had occurred on July 22, 2008, neither the Delhi Police Crime Branch which registered an FIR nor the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee had so far taken any tangible step. Lyngdoh, in his petition, has urged the apex court to direct the government to set up an independent SIT to probe the allegations in a speedy manner.
On July 22, 2008, three BJP members had placed one crore rupee cash in Lok Sabha alleging they were given to them by floor managers of the UPA government to secure their support during the no-confidence motion after Left parties withdrew their support over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The allegation was levelled by BJP MPs Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora. PTI
