SC not to entertain PIL in N-deal debate

The bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said it is the Parliament’s job to hold a debate on such issues, reports Bhadra Sinha.

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation urging its intervention in the on-going debate on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

The bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said it was the Parliament’s job to hold a debate on such issues and that the country was not lacking in proper advice.

HT Image

The bench also expressed its inability to pass a direction asking the Government to place the agreement before the Parliament for a discussion on the subject. “We cannot give a direction that it (joint statement) has to be put before Parliament for approval,” the bench observed.

However, when petitioner’s counsel, senior advocate PS Mishra submitted that an observation be given to that effect, the bench declined to entertain such a plea. “There are luminaries like the Prime Minister, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Speaker to decide on it,” added the bench.

The PIL was filed by Bhopal-based social activists Anil Chawla and Vipin Dixit who questioned 123 agreement and joint statements contending that it would jeopardize India's sovereignty and the moratorium on nuclear testing would deliver a crippling blow to country's nuclear weapon development programme.