Sc Rejects Cbi Chiefs Plea On Extension

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed the writ petition of CBI director R C Sharma who sought a modification in the judgment of last month to enable him to get reappointment. He is retiring on Saturday night.

In the judgment relating to hawala cases, the court had directed that Sharma shall not be continued beyond his extended term. He moved the petition stating that this direction was standing in the way of the government considering him for reappointment. Though he was barred from getting extension, he had a right to be considered for reappointment, argued Kapil Sibal on behalf of Sharma.

 

Attorney general Ashok Desai, representing CBI, clarified that as long as the judgment stood, the government could not reappoint him. If the court modified the judgment as sought by Sharma, the government would be able to reappoint him. But the government has not considered any such course, he said.

Anil Divan, senior counsel appointed by the court in the hawala matters, accused Sharma and the government of collusion. He said that Sharma was softpedalling investigations in several sensitive cases. Some accused were allowed to go abroad against public interest. Though he superannuated in January last year, he was granted extension.

The present plea for further time was mala fide, according to Divan.

The division bench consisting of Chief Justice M M Punchhi, Justice S P Bharucha and Justice M Srinivasan recorded the submissions and dismissed the petition. They said: We make it clear that Sharma is not to be continued as CBI director beyond the expiry of his present tenure.