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CONCEPT – VINEET NARAIN CASE
Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment
- Summary: This case concerns the historic Hawala scandal in India, which uncovered possible bribery payments to several high-ranking Indian politicians and bureaucrats from a funding source linked to suspected terrorists. Following news coverage of the scandal, members of the public were dismayed by the failure of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to initiate investigations of the officials with the apparent intent to protect certain implicated individuals who were extremely influential in government and politics.
- Litigation : This litigation was the result of public interest petitions filed on these matters with the Court pursuant to Article 32 of the Indian Constitution (which empowers the Supreme Court to issue directions for the enforcement of fundamental rights contained in the Constitution).
- Verdict : The Court agreed that the CBI had failed in its responsibility to investigate allegations of public corruption. It laid down guidelines to ensure independence and autonomy of the CBI and ordered that the CBI be placed under the supervision of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), an independent governmental agency intended to be free from executive control or interference. This directive removed the CBI from the supervision of the Central Government thought to be partly responsible for the inertia that contributed to the CBI’s previous lack of urgency with respect to the investigation of high-ranking officials. The CVC was now responsible for ensuring that allegations of corruption against public officials were thoroughly investigated regardless of the identity of the accused and without interference from the Government.
- Enforcement of the Decision and Outcomes: In terms of enforcement, following Court orders, investigations were conducted and charge sheets were filed against certain accused. However, all the cases collapsed at the stage of prosecution in court. The Court’s directions pertaining to structural relief were followed by the executive in the immediate aftermath of the decision but without a detailed investigation into individual cases it is not possible to assess the extent to which they were enforced.
- CBI and approvals : The Court in this case had struck down the validity of a directive issued by the Ministries and Departments in the Central Government that required the CBI to seek approval of the Central Government before pursuing investigation against bureaucrats of the level of Joint Secretary and above on grounds that it violated the independence of the investigative process. However, the Central Vigilance Commissioner Act, 2003, reinstated this requirement. This directive was again struck down by the Supreme Court in the course of another judgment in 2014 on the basis that it violated the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution.
- Invetigation : The primary purpose of the case was to compel a proper investigation into the scam, however this never happened. The focus of the judgment on the future and autonomy of the CBI may have been a way to divert attention from the issue of the scam. And as regards the directions of the court relating to the CBI, these were heavily diluted by politicians during implementation which resulted in the CVC being essentially toothless and controlled by the government. Nothing substantial changed in the aftermath of the case and today, scams continue with impunity.
- Significance of the Case: Effectively addressing public corruption is essential for the sustainable realization of economic and social rights since the impact of corruption often overlaps with violations of economic and social rights. This case is thus a step in the right direction in providing a mode of accountability in public life. This case is also significant because the Supreme Court liberally interpreted its powers under the Constitution to devise various innovative procedural techniques. These include: the appointment of amicus curiae to provide assistance to the court on legal issues: exercising supervisory jurisdiction to monitor implementation(, and delivering detailed directions to the executive and formulating guidelines to fill a legislative vacuum on the issue of public corruption. This case created public awareness regarding the issue of corruption, and inspired people to engage with the judicial system through the process of public interest litigation. Shri Vineet Narain had filed this case, who is a prominent journalist and anti-corruption activist.
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