NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of trafficking and corruption during the confidence vote won by the Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) government on May 13.
Describing the petition as being based on “vague, clear and informal” allegations, a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant dismissed the petition, which also sought imposition of president’s rule in the state pending completion of the proposed probe.
The petition was filed by KK Ramesh and argued by advocate CR Jaya Sokin, who urged the court to take note of the political situation prevailing in all the states, where political parties are changing sides and the ruling parties are engaging in all kinds of corrupt deals to gain their support.
“Everywhere, the ruling party is demolishing democratic activity. There is complete bargaining. Every political party indulges in corruption. They bargain first to get the support of MPs and MPs by offering them money. If they do not agree, they threaten to file criminal cases against their families,” Sokin said.
The bench, which also included Justice V Mohana, asked the lawyer: “Which ruling party are you talking about? You said the ruling party. It changes every time.” While the petition only addressed TVK, Sokin said it was addressing a general trend among all political parties.
“I am talking about all states. The situation today is that politicians from one state in eastern India and another in central India are traveling by air on chartered flights. Who is arranging this for them? Within minutes, they join another party. The Speaker has to consider their resignation letters first. But the Speaker announces to the media that they have joined another party. There is a serious threat to democracy,” he said.
While rejecting this petition, the bench said, “This petition is based on vague, bold and informal allegations without any reliable material to substantiate the same.”
