The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the courts can look into Parliamentary Committee reports and take them on record while deciding an issue. However, the report cannot be challenged.
Chief Justice Dipak Misra pronouncing the judgment on the five-judge Constitution Bench, said that the report was in public domain and hence relying on it would not be violative of parliamentary privileges.
In a separate but concurring judgment, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said, "there is no reason or justification" that the report of the Parliamentary Committee is not within the preview of the courts.
He said that the report could not be called into question in the court of law.
The judgment by the five-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Misra, Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Ashok Bhushan, came up on a question whether such reports could be relied upon while deciding an issue.
The issue here is rooted in a public interest plea by one Kalpana Mehta questioning the efficacy of a vaccine produced by two drug companies for the treatment of cervical cancer.
--IANS
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