SC declines plea to handover 1993 report, initiate probe against criminal-politician nexus

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to admit a plea seeking directions to the Central government to hand over the 1993 Vohra Committee report to various Central agencies for a comprehensive probe into the criminal-politician nexus.

A bench headed by Justice SK Kaul refused to admit the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.

"Look at the prayers. I hope the country will be at the top, I hope the world is a beautiful place, I hope every man will live happily, these are the prayers! Write a book on it, not petitions. One can understand giving a nudge to the Centre but I cannot encourage petitions like these. These are all utopian prayers. The petition must serve a purpose, one should understand what directions can be given. Plea dismissed as withdrawn," the bench said.

Senior advocate Anupam Lal Das, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the petition concerns the unholy nexus of politicians with criminals. Today, Lokpal does not have an investigating agency, he said.

After the bench said it wouldn't entertain the plea, the counsel sought to withdraw the petition and approach the Law Commission, which the top court allowed.

The plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay sought directions to the Centre to hand over the Vohra Committee report to various Central agencies, including NIA, CBI, ED, IB, SFIO, RAW, CBDT and NCB, for a comprehensive investigation into the criminal-politician nexus.

The plea sought a Lokpal-monitored investigation into the "criminal-political nexus", which it claimed was flagged in the Vohra Committee report.

It said the Lokpal Chairperson should be directed to monitor the probe into the alleged criminal-politician nexus or alternatively, the apex court should constitute a Judicial Commission to monitor the probe by central agencies into the issues highlighted by the report.

Former Union Home Secretary NN Vohra headed the committee formed to study the problem of criminalisation of politics and the nexus between criminals, politicians and bureaucrats in India. The report was submitted in October 1993.

The report contained observations by official agencies on the criminal network which, it said, was virtually running a parallel government. The plea sought concrete action on the report submitted on the alleged link between crime syndicates, politicians and bureaucrats.

It urged the top court to direct the government to reveal the names of the criminals, politicians and public servants against whom there was tangible evidence in the report and set up special courts to expeditiously try all cases referred to in the report.

The plea sought to direct the Union Home Secretary to withdraw the Padma awards given to politicians and public servants referred to in the Vohra Committee report.

Pointing out that the report had recommended a Nodal Cell to be set up with powers to take stringent action against crime syndicates, Upadhyay alleged that no follow-up action has been taken in the last 27 years.