Swamy seeks to be impleaded in case against ED officer probing Aircel-Maxis

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, seeking to be impleaded in a public interest plea, alleging an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer, probing the Aircell-Maxis case, possesses disproportionate assets.

As Swamy sought the nod of the court to be impleaded in the pending PIL, the vacation bench of Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Justice Indu Malhotra asked him to mention it next week on Monday (June 25) as Justice Malhotra recused herself from hearing the plea.

Telling the court that the apex court, by its earlier order, had directed the investigation into the matter be completed within six months which are ending on July 12, he argued that allegations against ED officer Rajeshwar Singh were aimed to delay the investigation and the said officer was protected by the top court on several occasions earlier.

On June 5 on a PIL by Rajneesh Kapur, the vacation bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Ashok Bhushan agreed to examine the plea alleging that Rajeshwar Singh has acquired disproportionate assets but no action was being initiated against him as he was protected by certain orders of the court passed in 2014 and 2017.

The petitioner had contended that the order of the top court protected Rajeshwar Singh against any mala fide or frivolous complaint but cannot be an absolute bar against any of his actions in breach of law.

Kapur had said that the top court could itself look into the allegations of disproportionate assets through an independent mechanism.

Saying that it would consider the prayer that the top court may itself look into the material against the ED officer, the court had on June 5 asked Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh to assist the court on the next date of hearing after obtaining necessary instructions.

Directing the listing of the matter before the appropriate bench, the court had also directed that the entire material relating to the allegation of the ED officer possessing disproportionate assets be placed before it.

Expressing its displeasure over investigation not being completed in a "serious" matter involving 2G cases, the top court by its March 12 order had directed that the "investigations shall be completed within six months in all the cases and on all the aspects of the matter and no stone shall be left unturned in this regard and all guilty shall be booked."

--IANS

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