Solicitor General Tushar Mehta expresses displeasure over podcast discussions on court judgments
Lawyers cannot discuss such matters on shows, SG Mehta said today.
SG Mehta expressed these views during the Supreme Court hearing in the petitions filed by the Enforcement Directorate on the recent I-PAC raids.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta today cautioned against podcast discussions on court judgments. The law officer has expresses concerns overs narratives being created due to such podcasts about the decisions rendered by a constitutional court.
This remark was made by the Solicitor during the Supreme Court's hearing in the petitions filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and its officers alleging interference by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state police officials during a search conducted at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Prateek Jain.
As the hearing was turning out to be lengthy one, Justice PK Mishra said, "There was a schedule by CJI about time of arguments", referring to the Supreme Court's recent Standard Operating Procedure for adhering to timelines for submission of oral arguments in all cases.
Responding to this, SG Mehta said, "It should also be said that lawyers cannot discuss such matters on shows".
Notably, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who was also present before Court and runs a YouTube channel responded saying, "There is no law against it, judgments are public property once delivered". He added that a circular should also be issued so that ED officials don't leak details to the journalists of their liking.
"This is not the place for this," SG Mehta replied.
In the hearing today, a Bench of Justices P.K. Mishra and Vipul M. Pancholi observed that the matter raised “larger questions” concerning the independence of investigations by central agencies and possible interference by state authorities, warranting examination by the top court.
The ED has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal police officers, alleging that the Chief Minister, accompanied by senior police officials, entered the premises during a lawful search under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and forcibly took away digital devices and documents. Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the incident as part of a “shocking pattern” where the Chief Minister allegedly obstructed statutory authorities in the discharge of their duties. He claimed that during the January 8 search linked to the alleged coal scam, the CM, along with the Director General of Police and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, entered the premises despite being requested not to interfere.
ED further contended that multiple FIRs had been registered against its officers following the incident, including FIRs leading to the removal of CCTV footage, and sought protection for its officers, citing threats to their Article 21 rights.