HC DENIES URGENT HEARING OF PLEA AGAINST FREEBIES

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking criminal investigation against Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda, and Karnataka BJP leaders in connection with the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme, stating that the charges were based on mere speculation.

- Shruti Kakkar

NEW DELHI:

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Kumar firmly rejected the allegations of extortion and illegal financial benefits linked to the scheme, remarking that criminal law cannot be invoked based on conjecture and assumptions.

"It is mere speculation, and you want a roving inquiry based on those speculations. That is not how criminal law works, or everyone in this room can face a criminal investigation based on mere allegations and some speculative theories," the bench told advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for activist Adarsh R Iyer of the NGO Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath.

Iyer had filed a plea alleging that Sitharaman facilitated financial extortion through the Enforcement Directorate (ED), coercing businesses into purchasing electoral bonds for BJP's benefit. The complaint claimed that BJP leaders, including Nadda, Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra, and former state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel, misused their positions to extort thousands of crores through raids and threats.

Bhushan argued that a thorough probe was necessary to uncover the truth, emphasising that real facts could only emerge through an independent investigation.