The Supreme Court today refused to entertain PILs seeking court-monitored CBI probe in alleged multi-crore rupees scam in public distribution system (PDS) in Chhattisgarh and said that the pleas may be filed in the state high court.
"After arguing for sometime, the lawyer seeks to withdraw the petition and the liberty to approach the high court. The petition is dismissed as withdrawn with the liberty to approach the high court," a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur said.
The bench, also comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and R Banumathi, also said that it was not "expressing any opinion on the merits" of the case.
The brief sharp exchange of words between Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who represented BJP-led Chhattisgarh government and senior advocate and former Law Minister Kapil Sibal, appearing for the PIL petitioner, led the bench to intervene.
"There are so many young lawyers watching you. You (Sibal) are a senior member of the bar and you (Rohatgi) are the Attorney General of India.
"We know these are sensitive matters, but there should be certain amount of cordiality...," the bench said, adding that the lawyers should remain "dispassionate" to some extent with the matters they are pursuing.
During the earlier hearing, the court had asked a former legislator and others, who had filed the PILs, to either move the high court or lodge an FIR in the case.
Rohatgi had vehemently opposed the pleas by terming them as the part of "political vendetta".
The bench had also asked Sibal, former Union minister, as to whether he was appearing in the case to settle political score, saying, "Are you fighting political battle through this?"
"I will leave the case if that is the impression. In fact, two Congress people are also involved," Sibal had responded.
He had said that influential persons are involved and hence, the apex court should intervene.
