SC chides states for ignoring PM on special CBI courts

The Supreme Court today chided the states for ignoring the prime minister's advice to set up sanctioned number of special CBI courts, regretting that even a letter written by country's highest authority in 2009 was being consigned to the "dustbin."

The Supreme Court on Thursday chided the states for ignoring the prime minister's advice to set up sanctioned number of special CBI courts, regretting that even a letter written by country's highest authority in 2009 was being consigned to the "dustbin."

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The court also lamented the "unfortunate scenario" where states took decisions only under the threat of contempt.

A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S D Mukhopadhyaya granted eight weeks to the eight defaulting states to set up the special courts as majority of the cases pertaining to corruption and criminal misconduct related to public servants.

"Majority of cases taken by special courts involves cases of public servants. The prime minister's letter is thrown into the dustbin. It is an unfortunate scenario that only under the threat of contempt they (states)take decisions.

"Chief secretaries are supposed to take administrative decisions but they do not take decisions on such important issues," the apex court said.

The eight erring states-- Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Goa were found to have not either set up the sanctioned number or only partially implemented the Prime Minister's advice given in 2009.

According to the official figures, the number of sanctioned courts which the respective defaulting states failed to set up are: AP(5), Delhi(6), Gujarat(2), West Bengal(3), Orissa(4), Assam(2) Goa and Chattisgarh (one each).

The apex court passed the direction while dealing with an appeal filed by the CBI challenging a Gujarat high court order which had stayed the transfer of an agency official probing alleged tax evasion to the tune of Rs 100 crore by oil companies in the state.