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SC to decide on CBI probe into stamp paper scam: Jaswant
New Delhi, Dec 02: The government will approach the Supreme Court for ordering a CBI probe in the Rs 32,000 crore fake stamp paper case.
We have decided to seek a directive from the Supreme Court
whether CBI should investigate the case, Finance Minister Jaswant
Singh told reporters outside Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today put off by two weeks
the hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate
Ajay K Agarawal, seeking a unified CBI probe into the scam
involving almost all the states.
The hearing was put off by a three-judge bench comprising Chief
Justice V N Khare, Justice Ashok Bhan and Justice A R Lakshmanan as the bench wanted the petitioner to implead all the
affected states as parties to the petition.
The court said a similar petition filed by one Mukesh Manubhai
Vashi would also be heard along with the petition of Agarwal.
Agarwal has contented in his petition that the scam originated
in Maharashtra and Karnataka and any investigation undertaken by
the CBI not involving the two states will be incomplete.
The petitioner has submitted that since politicians and
high-ranking bureaucrats and police officers of Maharashtra and
Karnataka were involved, the two states are shy of handing over
the investigation to the CBI.
Besides demanding that the investigation should be conducted
within a time-frame, the petitioner has also sought the transfer of
similar petitions pending in different high courts to the apex court
for disposal together to avoid conflicting verdicts.
Bureau Report