After putting certain sharp questions during the past two hearings on alleged delay by the PMO in responding to an application for the grant of sanction for prosecution of former telecom minister A. Raja in 2G spectrum scam case, the Supreme Court on Monday clarified that the posers were not aimed at “sullying” the image of the Prime Minister.
A bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly virtually shifted the blame on the media for “distorting” the reporting on the apex court proceedings and described it as “unfortunate”. “The questions put by the court could not be construed as order of the court. Prime Minister’s name is dragged for two days... we don’t know how,” the bench observed.
It further said “the reputation of every individual is very important. But here the reputation of the Prime Minister has been ‘sullied’... media has an important role to play in a democracy but the way the court proceedings were reported, we only can describe it as unfortunate,” Justice Singhvi, heading the bench observed at the fag end of Monday’s proceedings. Apparently the court expressed its reservation about the reporting of the queries put to the counsel during the hearing and also made a reference to the media reports on the previous hearings at the very beginning of the Monday’s proceedings on a PIL by an NGO on the issue.
“There has been total distortion of the order of the court. Attempts were made to run down a high political office… we make it clear that we will not allow court proceedings to be taken for a ride,” Justice Singhvi observed. This came from the bench after it had sought an affidavit form the PMO detailing the action taken on Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy’s application to the Prime Minister sent in November 2008 for grant of sanction for prosecution of Mr Raja. The apex court has fixed hearing to examine the PMO’s affidavit on Tuesday.