The Supreme Court on Monday granted relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a case involving allegations of disproportionate assets, directing the Allahabad High Court not to proceed with the matter for the time being.
The apex court also instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to submit any report before the Allahabad High Court in connection with the allegations against Gandhi.
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Rahul Gandhi had approached the Supreme Court challenging an earlier order of the Allahabad High Court that directed the CBI and ED to verify allegations concerning his alleged disproportionate assets.
Allahabad HC Had Sought Fresh CBI Affidavit
The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench had expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI’s earlier response and, on July 20, directed a senior officer of the agency to personally submit a fresh affidavit detailing the progress of the inquiry.
The High Court had also observed that if the ED found any material or documents indicating wrongdoing during its examination of the allegations, it could take further action in accordance with the law.
The proceedings originated from a petition seeking investigations by the CBI and ED into allegations of disproportionate assets involving the Congress leader.
The petition was filed by S Vignesh Shishir, a Karnataka resident and BJP worker, who had previously approached courts with allegations concerning Gandhi, including claims about his citizenship.
Case Heard In-Chamber
The High Court’s earlier order was passed following an in-chamber hearing that lasted nearly two hours. The court had noted that the CBI’s affidavit did not comply with its previous directions and failed to adequately explain the progress made on the complaint concerning Gandhi’s assets.
The bench subsequently directed the CBI’s joint director or the head of the relevant zone at its Anti-Corruption headquarters in New Delhi to personally file a fresh affidavit before the next hearing.
The matter was treated as part-heard, with August 20 scheduled as the next date of hearing.
Case Records Kept Under Seal
The High Court had also given the Union government four weeks to submit detailed counter-affidavits on behalf of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
The entire case record was ordered to remain in a sealed cover under the custody of the senior registrar, in accordance with the court’s earlier directions.
Given the sensitive nature of the allegations, the High Court bench had been hearing the matter in-chamber rather than through an open court proceeding.
The Supreme Court’s latest direction temporarily puts the Allahabad High Court proceedings on hold while preventing the investigating agencies from placing any report before it in relation to the case.
(Inputs from Hindustan Times)
Edited by: Moonmoon Borah
