US officials' cables have immunity in India: Govt

New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI) Indian government on Thursday refused to confirm or deny WikiLeaks cables on 2008
cash-for-vote scam between an American embassy official here
and the US Government, stating their correspondence enjoys
diplomatic immunity.
Making a statement in the Upper House of Indian
Parliament, Rajya Sabha, amidst din by BJP members, Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "...the correspondence between
the sovereign government and its missions abroad enjoys
diplomatic immunity...Therefore, it is not possible for the
government to either confirm it or deny it..."
Besides, he said what happened in the previous (14th)
Lok Sabha cannot be judged during the tenure of the present
House.
"The Government of the day is ... accountable to the
15th Lok Sabha and not accountable to the 14th Lok Sabha," he
said.
Mukherjee asked Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley
whether whatever has been published in the newspaper about the
WikiLeaks cables was "an admissible evidence in any court of
law...as per the law."
When Jaitley said it was an offence of bribery
committed by Indians in India and the government was "guilty
of a cover-up", an angry Mukherjee retorted, "Why don't you go
to the court and file a public interest litigation on the
basis of this evidence....if you have the courage, then go to
the court."
Jaitely said if whatever has appeared in media reports
is correct, it "is a commission of an offence in India."
The diplomatic immunity available to a US diplomat can
certainly not be claimed by the Government here for the
benefit of those Indians who have committed an offence in the
country, he said.
On Mukherjee's contention that it pertained to
previous Lok Sabha, Jaitely said, "All these factors do not
apply when an offence of bribery is committed outside the
House...you are guilty of a cover up," Jaitely, a noted
lawyer, argued.