Date:29/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/29/stories/2008032955791200.htm

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Stay on proceedings against Natwar, son vacated

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday vacated its stay on the adjudication proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate against the former External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, and his son, Jagat Singh, in the 2006 oil-for-food scam.

The High Court last year stayed the proceedings on appeals by the two challenging a Single-Judge Bench judgment of the court dismissing their plea for directions to the Union government to provide them all documents collected by it relating to the scam.

A Division Bench comprising Justices T.S. Thakur and Kailash Gambhir also dismissed their appeals, upholding the Single-Judge Bench judgment.

Mr. Justice B.D. Ahmed of the court had dismissed their petitions saying that a Supreme Court ruling had said that the accused persons could make claims for supply of only those documents which prosecuting agencies relied on for their prosecution.

The two had moved the court following issuance of notices to them and four others by the Directorate after the Justice R.S. Pathak Inquiry Authority report was made public by the Centre in 2006.

The report was about the scam money allegedly paid to Indian entities whose names figured in the United Nations’ Volcker Committee report.

Counsel for the appellants had argued that if they were supplied all the documents collected by the government relating to the scam, they would be in a better position to defend themselves before the Directorate.

The Directorate had sought replies from them on the point of alleged violations of different provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act following the alleged receipt of the scam money by them.