Supreme Court slams Centre, asks it to reveal all names of black money account holders by tomorrow
“You don’t have to have a protective umbrella for the (foreign bank) account holders…Doesn’t matter even if confidentiality is being breached,” a bench headed by CJI HL Dattu said Tuesday, refusing to modify its earlier order to the government to reveal all names of foreign bank account holders.
“You please don’t bother…You don’t investigate. We will order the SIT to investigate…The Union of India need not do anything,” the bench said, adding it would take the responsibility of issuing further directions in the matter.
“We can’t leave the issue of bringing back black money to government. It will never happen during our time,” the apex court said in a stinging criticism of the government.The new regime at the Centre can’t ask modification of order when it was passed in an open court and accepted by the government, the court said.
Immediately after the government order, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government will place the list before the court.
“The government shall place the list before the Court because the government has already given (the list) to the court constituted Special Investigating Team (on June 27). The government is keen that by whatever procedure in accordance with law we must get to the root of the matter.
“…the government has no difficulty in placing the entire list and the same will be placed before the court tomorrow,” Jaitley told reporters.
Jaitley said the government was keen to punish all illicit foreign account holders and would do everything to bring back the black money.
“The truth about these names and also these accounts must come out so that penal action can be taken against the people and the money lying there can be brought back to India.
“The government has no difficulty whatsoever with any agency investigating this matter because there is nobody the government wants to protect in this case so that those whose names have come must really be investigated and punished according to law,” he said.
The new regime at the Centre can’t ask modification of order when it was passed in an open court and accepted by the government, the court said.
Immediately after the government order, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government will place the list before the court.
“The government has no difficulty whatsoever with any agency investigating this.We want to know the whole truth about all the names that have come up,” Jaitley said.
A list of blackmoney account holders was submitted to the Special Investigation Team on June 27 and the government will share this list with the Supreme Court, he added.
The Congress hit out at the Modi government with spokesperson Ajay Maken saying the court order thwarted the government’s attempt at selective blackmail over the black money list.
Eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani said there was an attempt on the part of the government to try ant not reveal all the names in the list.
The Centre is to give all names of Swiss bank account holders to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover.
The court’s observation comes a day after the Centre disclosed eight names to the court in an affidavit and petitioner Ram Jethmalani accused the government of attempting to shield politicians and businessmen.
Those named in a government affidavit were Pradip Burman of the Dabur group, Rajkot-based bullion trader Pankaj Chimanlal Lodhya and directors of Goa-based mining company Timblo Private Limited — Radha Satish Timblo, Chetan S Timblo, Rohan S Timblo, Anna C Timblo and Mallika R Timblo. Timblo Private Limited, a firm identified by Association for Democratic Reforms as a donor to both the BJP and the Congress, was also named.
