Chopper purchase by Chhattisgarh: SC to look into CAG report

Supreme Court today said it would consider the issue of maintainability raised by the Centre on a plea seeking an SIT probe into alleged irregularities in the purchase of an Agusta helicopter for VVIP use by the Chhattisgarh government and look into the CAG report on the matter.

While dealing with the plea filed by Swaraj Abhiyan, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R Banumathi said the issue of maintainability would arise as it would deal with the question whether applying for registration as a political party takes away an organisation's right to raise issues relating to the economy of the country.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the apex court that petitioner Swaraj Abhiyan has applied to Election Commission for registration as a political party called 'Swaraj India' and the issue relating to purchase of the helicopter has been gone into by the CAG as well as Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Chhattisgarh Assembly.

"We will hear after four weeks (the issue of) maintainability of the plea and also the CAG report. Cases like 2G and Coal are fundamentally based on CAG reports. We will see the CAG report (in the matter)," the bench said.

When senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for Swaraj Abhiyan, said in the 2G case, the apex court had held that such petitions are maintainable, the bench said, "we want this controversy to rest".

"Assuming if one has applied for registration as a political party, does it take away his right to raise such issue relating to economy of the country? We will deal with it," the bench said. However, Bhushan told the bench that Swaraj Abhiyan and Swaraj India were separate organisations.

On the issue of maintainability of the plea, Rohatgi said some of the petitioners in the matter were either politicians or related to political parties and they were "scandalising" the issue.

He said the helicopter was purchased almost 10 years ago after tendering process and there was no violation of fundamental rights as claimed by the petitioners.

"Even if (petitioners) feel that an alleged offence has been committed, they have to go to police first. They have come to the court. How will the Supreme Court answer this? Documents of CAG and PAC of the Assembly are there," he said.