SC criticises govt for not probing into source of black money

New Delhi (PTI) - The Supreme Court of India on
Monday flayed the government for not probing into specific
sources of black money stashed in banks abroad and asked the
Centre to apprise it of its investigation into the threat to
national security posed by it.
The apex court also expressed its dismay that the
government's probe into the issue of black money was focussed
only on the case involving Pune stud owner Hasan Ali Khan and
no name of any other person involved in stashing funds abroad
has come out.
"No further information is coming out. Only one
individual is there. What about others?" a bench of justices B
Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar asked Solicitor General Gopal
Subramanium, who submitted to the bench, in a sealed cover,
the Enforcement Directorate's status report of its probe in
the case.
After perusing the status report, the bench criticised
the steps taken by the government in the investigation of the
matter including that relating to the passport case against
Khan.
"It is very difficult to be calm and quiet after
seeing the status report," the bench remarked.
"Why all these agencies were sleeping since 2008? Why
it moved when we stepped in? If writ petition had not been
filed, nothing would have happened," the bench observed.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking retrieval of black
money stashed by Indian citizens in banks abroad. The PIL had
been filed by former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani.