Senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani has alleged that a "cabal" is operating in the Supreme Court bringing politically motivated petitions, "acting at the interest of foreign powers inimical to the interests of India".
Speaking to NDTV hours after the Supreme Court verdict in the Hindenburg case, he cited it as proof that such petitions -- brought on basis of newspaper reports and other flimsy evidence -- will not be acceptable.
Such petitions are "inadmissible" and even the top court has made it clear, he said.
The bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said the allegations of OCCRP - an organisation funded by billionaire George Soros and others - can't be the basis for doubting SEBI's investigation into the Hindenburg case.
Responding to the petitioners' appeal for the case to be transferred, the bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said the power to transfer investigation "must be exercised in exceptional circumstances".
The court made it clear that newspaper reports and such cannot be accepted as evidence, Mr Jethmalani said, citing in this context that Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra's tweets had apparently figured in the petitions in the case.
"There is a cabal in the Supreme Court that revels in this kind of thing and I am sorry to say that some of the issues that they take up in the Supreme Court are not in national interest. That is the best that can be said about them," said Mr Jethmalani.
The predecessor of the Hindenburg case, he said, was the one on Rafale, which also met with failure in the top court, he said.
Every time it was the "same lawyers, same petition," he said, pointing out that even te review petition for Rafale got dismised.
"It keeps happening. The same bunch of people, acting at the interest of foreign powers inimical to India's interests," he said. He added a "word of caution" -- saying every time such petitions are brought, it would get turned down by the Supreme Court.