Disclosure of Radia tapes: SC notice to Centre

The Supreme Court today opened another front in the Niira Radia tape case by issuing notice to the central government on a petition seeking disclosure of their contents.

The court already has the tapes in its custody in relation to earlier cases involving former telecom minister A Raja and the petition moved by industrialist Ratan Tata.

A bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi issued the order and the case will come up on Februrary 2, after the government’s reply. The tapes contain corporate lobbyist Radia’s conversation with politicians, journalists and corporate tycoons. The talks were tapped by government authorities on a complaint to the finance ministry alleging danger to national security.

The court passed the order on a public interest petition moved by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, seeking disclosure of the entire 5,800 conversations. According to the petition, disclosure was in public interest as it might reveal corruption in government and at other levels.

Tata’s petition presented a counter-view. According to him, the leakage of his conversation with Radia violated his right to privacy enshrined in the Constitution. He moved the court after much of the significant portions of the tapes appeared in the press and on certain television channels.