Kargil deals:SC asks Centre to give consolidated status report

New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI) The Supreme Court of India
Monday directed Indian government to file a consolidated
status report on the probe into alleged irregularities in
defence deals entered into in the wake of the Kargil conflict,
which caused a loss of around Rs 2,000 crore to the
exchequer.

The apex court said the consolidated report will also
give details about the departmental action taken by the
Ministry of Defence against officials involved in alleged
irregularities in the deals.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and
Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan said the Ministry of
Defence will file an affidavit giving details about the
appropriate action likely to be taken in 33 cases which were
referred to it.

The order was passed after senior advocate Rakesh
Dwivedi, who is assisting the court as amicus curaie in the
matter, said it is more than one and half years since the
order was passed for filing the consolidated report but the
Centre has been delaying it.

Dwivedi, who during the last hearing in January this
year had accused the of Centre of trying to cover up the
issue, said government has to tell about the outcome of the
departmental inquiry.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said steps have
been taken and the Centre had earlier filed a status report in
a sealed cover.

Subramanium said 23 cases were earlier referred to the
government after Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had
said there was no criminality involved in the deals and later
nine more cases were referred to the Ministry of Defence.

He said there were a total of 48 cases.

Dwivedi said neither the Centre nor CBI was giving
details about the cases as to how many chargesheets have been
filed and against whom.

The Solicitor General sought three weeks to file the
status report.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on
October 23.

Earlier in February 2008, the court was informed that
the Defence Ministry was yet to take action against officials
involved in alleged irregularities in defence deals.

The apex court had on August 14, 2006, directed the
Ministry to file an affidavit after examining the illegality
and irregularities in the deals which allegedly caused a loss
of Rs 2,000 crore to the state exchequer.

The CBI had on November 6, 2006, filed two status reports
in sealed covers giving details of the progress into the
investigation of the deals. The court had sought details
about 15 such deals.

The court was earlier informed that CBI had registered
a regular case in the casket purchase scam.

While asking CBI to file a status report in the sealed
covers, the court had sought details of the six cases
regarding which it has registered two preliminary inquiries
and decided to make an in-depth inquiry. PTI