CBI vs CBI: Verma's lawyers enter into exchange of words in SC

The CBI case in the Supreme Court saw a sharp exchange of words on Tuesday between the two lawyers representing CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, with the senior counsel questioning the move by his junior advocate in mentioning the matter on Monday without his consent.

Senior advocate Fali S Nariman, appearing for Verma, told a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi that he was not aware that lawyer Gopal Shankaranarayanan, who is also representing the CBI Director, had mentioned the matter on Monday before the court seeking some more time to file a reply on his behalf without his consent.

"Nobody had asked him (Shankaranarayanan) to do so. It was totally unauthorised. I was never informed. Nobody asked him to mention the matter. I am very disturbed," Nariman told the bench, also comprising justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph.

The senior counsel further added that he and his junior had worked late in the night to prepare Verma's response to the CVC's findings against him over the alleged corruption charges against the CBI Director.

The bench, which was miffed over the purported leak of Verma's confidential response to Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) preliminary inquiry report, adjourned the matter for hearing on November 29.

Later, Nariman again mentioned the matter before the bench and requested that it should be re-heard.

The bench allowed his request and when the matter was taken up for hearing, Shankaranarayanan said that the senior counsel had earlier submitted that he was not authorised to mention the matter.

"I need to clear my name," Shankaranarayanan said.

However, the CJI observed, "We are not prepared to hear Mr Gopal Shankaranarayanan. We are prepared to hear Mr Nariman only. We want this place clear. As far as this court in concerned Mr Shankaranarayanan, nobody is under any cloud."