NEW DELHI: The supreme {Court last week pulled up the z central Investigation Bureau BI) Director Joginder Singh, overall in charge of investigation into the multi crore hawala case, for hobnobbing with those accused in the case. Summoning Singh to appear before them in the court the judges said if the news reports of his attempted meetings with some of the persons allegedly involved in the case were true then the matter assumed serious proportions. “Director, it is unfortunate that you have chosen to take your first step as the new CBI chief in the wrong direction. We are disturbed at this development,” the judges told Singh.
The judges said the court’s orders in the hawala investigations were very clear do not take orders from anyone else except the court. This direction laid down clearly the parameters as to how the CBI director and other investigating officers should function and conduct themselves. “You were to strictly abide by these orders and in fact we gave you enough time to get yourself acquainted with the purport of these orders. But what do you do. You take the first step in the wrong direction,” the judges said. The judges said the attorney general was the senior most law officer of the government from whom the CBI director could seek guidance. In fact it was the attorney general who had the sanction of the court to decide matters for presentation’ to the court entirely in the way he thinks fit and proper. “But if these news reports are correct, then you seem to have decided to call on certain persons who you have to investigate, for seeking their guidance,” the judges observed. The express orders of the court in the matter, the CBI director seemed to have looked up to “unauthorized sources” for the purpose of seeking guidance. This was an “entirely wrong direction” the CBI chief had taken and had serious effects.
The judges warned that if Singh continued to persist with such steps, the court may have to intervene and pass appropriate orders against him. “In future, any guidance you want should be taken ‘only from the attorney general and his law Officers,” the judges made it clear. The court said the acts of the CBI director were not conducive to upholding the dignity of the high office he held and in fact made the entire exercise being undertaken by the je. In monitoring the hawala probe useless. “Director shall we take it that these acts of yours are a thing of the past or do you want to continue with such practices in the future also” the judges 7 When the CBI director tol judges that he would follow the orders of the court in the matter in letter and spirit, the judges hoped that what had failed to impress the CBI chief on the last occasion in court would impress him from now onwards at least. The judges made it clear to the CBI chief that he as holder of a high office should act in all matters with “due circumspection” because 6very step he took would be noticed.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 21, 1996
