National

HC gives Centre `last chance' on Swamy's plea

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 18. The Delhi High Court today gave the Union Government one last opportunity to file a reply to two separate public interest litigations by the Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, levelling certain criminal allegations against the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and her son, Rahul Gandhi.

A Division Bench comprising Devinder Gupta and Shameet Mukherjee, granted a request by the Additional Solicitor-General, K.K. Sud, for extension of the time to file reply to the petition. The Judges directed the Government to file the reply by April 2.

Counsel for the CBI, A.K. Dutt, filed a reply to the petition. After going through the reply, the Bench observed that it was not a progress report on what the investigation had done on the two complaints. Rather, the reply had para-wise answers to the allegations made in the two PILs.

The Bench said that it wanted the CBI to tell the court what it had done on the two complaints which Dr. Swamy had lodged with it.

Dr. Swamy submitted that the court should direct the investigating agency to immediately lodge a case on the basis of his complaints lying with it. The High Court had, on January 12, issued notices to the Government and the CBI on the matter.

One PIL alleged involvement of the Congress president, her mother and sister in a smuggling racket in which ``precious antiques worth Rs. 10,000 crores'' were smuggled into Italy between 1991-94 while the other accused Rahul Gandhi of receiving pecuniary benefits from the KGB.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News: | Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Anti-incumbency factor troubling BJP
• Sonia turns the tide in Amethi
• `Cong. not responsible for turmoil in J&K'
• NICD findings awaited
• Fernandes denies role in coffin purchases
• T.N. supports SC ban on public meetings on roads
• Eviction of Princess of Greece set aside
• Cong., BJP trade charges in Gujarat
• Atomic power station to be decommissioned
• `RSS not averse to mosque in Ayodhya'
• Railways, NTPC to set up power plant
• Close fight in U.P., say exit polls
• HC gives Centre `last chance' on Swamy's plea
• `Sangh Parivar behind attack on church'
• BJP will form Govt. in U.P.: Advani
• Centre to help set up translation board
• U.S. team coming for talks on weapon sales
• Meet to discuss misuse of precursor chemicals
• VHP posing `fascist threat': IUML
• Court verdict will be final: Advani
• Honour for President
• SGPC suspends holy visits to Pakistan
• Puri gets new post

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu