The Supreme Court has sought the assistance of Attorney General, Mukul Rohatgi, to hear a plea seeking a probe into the alleged amassing of wealth by the kith and kin of former Justice KG Balakrishnan.
The Supreme Court today sought the assistance of the Attorney General, Mukul Rohatgi, to hear a plea seeking a central probe into the alleged amassing of wealth by the kith and kin of Justice KG Balakrishnan, during his tenure as an apex court judge and Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
"Let learned Attorney General appear and assist us," a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant said, fixing the date for the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to be heard on November 15.
The bench made it clear that it could look only into the issue of alleged Income Tax violations. "It is the duty of the Income Tax officer to find out the source of income. That action has not been taken," observed the bench.
Senior Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, Common Cause, alleged that around 21 properties have been acquired in the names of son, daughter and brother of the former Chief Justice of India.
"... sadly, the impression which is gaining ground is that the judiciary now ceases to be accountable and nothing can be done against it. This situation has very serious consequences," said Mr Bhushan.
In order to restore the faith of the people in the judicial system, Mr Bhushan said that the Central Bureau of Investigation should register a preliminary enquiry into the charges of disproportionate assets under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Mr Balakrishnan was the Chief Justice of India from 2007-10, and was appointed as Chairperson of the NHRC within a month of his retirement in 2010. He demitted the office of the rights commission in May.