No financial misdemeanour evidence against ex-CJI: Centre to SC

The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the probe by the Income Tax department into allegations that the kith and kin of former chief justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan had amassed wealth during his tenure has found no substance.

Informing the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh that the probe has not yielded anything, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said he could file a status report to that affect in a sealed cover.

The court in an earlier hearing had asked Attorney General Rohatgi to assist it in the matter.

The attorney general sought the dismissal of the PIL by NGO Common Cause, saying the former CJI, whose removal as head of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was sought by the PIL petitioner, has already demitted office on the completion of his tenure as the head of the human rights body.

While agreeing that its plea does not survive, Common Cause pressed for a probe into the wealth allegedly amassed by his kith and kin, including his son-in-law.

Telling the court that such "roving inquiries" could set a "dangerous precedent", Attorney General Rohatgi said it was the same NGO which had levelled similar allegations against a former chief minister who passed away recently.

Attorney General Rohatgi told the court that such pleas have the potential of opening a Pandora's box.

He said the brother and son-in-law of the former CJI were practising lawyers and "several intricacies of their earning could not be gone into".