The Supreme Court’s dismissal of a petition seeking probe into the Sahara diaries which purportedly contained entries on plain paper of so-called bribes paid to Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat chief minister should put the wild allegations to rest. In the vitiated atmosphere that prevails in New Delhi’s political circles, there was indiscriminate mud-slinging at the country’s head of government who has had an impeccable record for integrity. In the apex court’s assessment, there was no conclusive evidence to establish that documents seized in Income-Tax raids on the Sahara group established that bribes had been paid to anybody. Dismissing senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan’s plea for investigation into the documents seized in the IT raids, the apex court, after hearing the matter, said the investigation cannot be ordered on the basis of loose sheets of paper.
The Supreme Court order is indeed a shot in the arm for the Modi government and for Modi personally in so far as it wipes off any taint on the Prime Minister. It is an embarrassment for some Opposition leaders who had been crying themselves hoarse. While the charge had, prima facie, been found unsustainable even at the first hearing of the court on December — there was still an apprehension that the lawyers may be able to come up with some sort of proof of wrong-doing. The court, while dismissing the petition, said it would be a “bad precedent” if investigation was ordered based on those documents. “Nobody in the country would be safe if such documents are accepted as legal evidence. Anyone can put the name of anybody on such papers,” Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi told the court.
The Supreme Court decision deflates Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s warnings late last year that he would cause an “earthquake” by unveiling proof that Modi was corrupt. Rahul had said: “It is on the records of the Income Tax department that Modi received money from the Sahara Group nine times in six months (in 2013-14).” Among others, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee too had been gunning for Modi on that pretext. Considering that the highest court was seized of the matter, it is debatable whether there is adequate deterrence in law to prevent such irresponsible utterances to be made against such a high personage whose credentials are under constant and intense international scrutiny. It would indeed stand to reason if the law against wild and unsubstantiated allegations is strengthened so that there is adequate protection and deterrence against the violators.
