Apex court irked over leak of CBI chief’s reply

It was hearing Verma’s plea against government’s decision to divest him of duties

The Supreme Court Tuesday expressed deep anguish over the purported leak of CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma’s response to the Central Vigilance Commission’s (CVC) findings against him as also the publication of allegations levelled by agency’s DIG Manoj Kumar Sinha in his separate plea.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which reheard the matter at the request of senior advocate Fali S Nariman, who is representing Verma, made it clear that the court would not hear any party and would confine itself to the issues red flagged by it.

Miffed over the alleged leak of Verma’s confidential response to CVC’s findings, the bench, which also comprises Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, said that it wanted to keep the CBI Director’s response confidential to maintain the probe agency’s dignity.

The court was hearing Verma’s plea against govt’s decision to divest him of duties and sending him on leave.

The bench, while adjourning the hearing to November 29, then took umbrage of various media reports based on the petition filed by Sinha levelling allegations against various top functionaries.

“Yesterday, we had refused the mentioning [seeking urgent listing of Sinha’s plea gainst his transfer to Nagpur] and we had expressed that highest degree of confidentiality was to be maintained.

“But here is a litigant who mentions it before us and then goes out to distribute the petition to everyone,” the CJI said referring to the purported wild allegations of Sinha which have been published in the media.

“Our efforts to maintain the respect of this institution is not shared by these people. They are giving it to everybody,” the CJI said.

Sinha on Monday dragged the names of NSA Ajit Doval, Union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and CVC’s K V Chowdhury over alleged attempts to interfere in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who has been divested of his duties and sent on leave along with his boss.

The top court again adjourned hearing to November 29 and refused to hear any party, including Central Vigilance Commission.