SC seeks status report on probe into 'cash-for-vote'scam

New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) The Indian Supreme Court on
Thursday directed the Delhi Police to place before it the
status report on the probe conducted by it in the
"cash-for-vote" scam during the trust vote faced by the UPA
government in July 2008.
Not satisfied with the Centre's contention that an FIR
has been lodged in the case and probe will be completed within
two months, a bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam ordered the
police to file the status report by July 15.
"Two months is a long time. Tell us about the present
status of the probe," the bench said, while posting the matter
for further hearing on July 15.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said that the
status report will be filed within the stipulated period in a
sealed envelope before the court.
The court passed the order on a petition filed by
former Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh seeking its
directions to the government to take action against
politicians involved in the scam.
The petition alleges that though the entire nation was
shocked by the spectacle of three BJP MPs displaying wads of
currency notes in Parliament as bribe money to vote in favour
of the UPA during the 2008 trust vote, no action has so far
been taken against those guilty.
According to the petition, though the incident had
occurred on July 22, 2008, neither the Delhi Police Crime
Branch which registered an FIR nor the chairman of the Joint
Parliamentary Committee headed by Kishore Chandra Deo, which
inquired into the allegation, had so far taken any tangible
step to initiate action against those responsible.
Lyngdoh, in his petition, has urged the apex court to
direct the government to set up an independent SIT to probe
the allegations and try to complete the investigations within
six months. He has pleaded that the SIT chief should be given
absolute powers and independence to choose the best officers
for the probe.
On July 22, 2008, three BJP members had placed one
crore rupee cash in the Lok Sabha alleging they were given to
them by floor managers of the UPA government to secure their
support during the no-confidence motion after Left parties
withdrew their support over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The BJP members had claimed that the floor managers
had sought to purchase them through a Samajwadi Party leader.
The allegation was levelled by the BJP MPs Ashok Argal, Faggan
Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora. PTI AAC
ASH