New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today sought a response from the Centre on a plea by Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata asking for the inquiry report on the leakage of the controversial Niira Radia tapes. The probe report had pointed out that the tapes released to the media were tampered with.
The top court has asked the government to file its reply within three weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on March 27.
Mr Tata has blamed the Centre for not conducting a proper inquiry into the leakage of the Radia tapes. Mr Tata also found fault with the interdepartmental inquiry.
In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Mr Tata said, "It is incumbent upon the Union of India to take steps under various laws which confer police powers, to conduct a full-fledged investigation into the matter."
The affidavit also said that it is the abject failure of the Centre to protect his privacy and that the Centre could not find out those responsible for the lead even after two years.
It also said that the Centre failed to secure the data from the private service provider which is non-compliance of constitutional duty.
"The probe conducted by Centre does not inspire public confidence. The probe should have been done by an outsider not by the Income Tax department...This probe done by the department may well exonerate the department and blame outsiders," the affidavit said.
The government had earlier expressed reluctance in sharing the probe report on the ground that the investigation was still in progress to find out how the tapes of Radia's conversations, tapped by Income Tax Department, got leaked. The Centre had filed the report in a sealed envelope before the Supreme Court bench on January 31.
In a significant disclosure, the Centre had on January 31 told the top court that the Radia tapes broadcast by media organisations had been tampered with and the government agencies were not responsible for its leakage. The government had said there were eight to ten agencies, including service providers, involved in tapping of telephonic conversation of former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
The report said the starting and the end point of the conversation do not match with the original tapes. The report also stated that officers, who had conducted the probe, did not know as to who had leaked it.
In February last year, the government had submitted to the Supreme Court a copy of a complaint on basis of which it had begun tapping Ms Radia's telephonic conversations with several people including politicians, corporate leaders and media persons.
The complaint was given to the court in compliance with its December 13, 2010 order, which was passed on Mr Tata's plea for a probe into the leakage of tapes containing his private conversation with Ms Radia and for stopping its further publication.
The government had told the court that it had begun tapping Ms Radia's telephone on a complaint alleging that she was indulging in anti-national activities and was acting as spy of foreign intelligence agencies.
(With PTI Inputs)
The top court has asked the government to file its reply within three weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on March 27.
Mr Tata has blamed the Centre for not conducting a proper inquiry into the leakage of the Radia tapes. Mr Tata also found fault with the interdepartmental inquiry.
In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Mr Tata said, "It is incumbent upon the Union of India to take steps under various laws which confer police powers, to conduct a full-fledged investigation into the matter."
The affidavit also said that it is the abject failure of the Centre to protect his privacy and that the Centre could not find out those responsible for the lead even after two years.
It also said that the Centre failed to secure the data from the private service provider which is non-compliance of constitutional duty.
"The probe conducted by Centre does not inspire public confidence. The probe should have been done by an outsider not by the Income Tax department...This probe done by the department may well exonerate the department and blame outsiders," the affidavit said.
The government had earlier expressed reluctance in sharing the probe report on the ground that the investigation was still in progress to find out how the tapes of Radia's conversations, tapped by Income Tax Department, got leaked. The Centre had filed the report in a sealed envelope before the Supreme Court bench on January 31.
In a significant disclosure, the Centre had on January 31 told the top court that the Radia tapes broadcast by media organisations had been tampered with and the government agencies were not responsible for its leakage. The government had said there were eight to ten agencies, including service providers, involved in tapping of telephonic conversation of former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
The report said the starting and the end point of the conversation do not match with the original tapes. The report also stated that officers, who had conducted the probe, did not know as to who had leaked it.
In February last year, the government had submitted to the Supreme Court a copy of a complaint on basis of which it had begun tapping Ms Radia's telephonic conversations with several people including politicians, corporate leaders and media persons.
The complaint was given to the court in compliance with its December 13, 2010 order, which was passed on Mr Tata's plea for a probe into the leakage of tapes containing his private conversation with Ms Radia and for stopping its further publication.
The government had told the court that it had begun tapping Ms Radia's telephone on a complaint alleging that she was indulging in anti-national activities and was acting as spy of foreign intelligence agencies.
(With PTI Inputs)
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