The Supreme Court yesterday asked the Union government to consider the appointment of a committee consisting of secretaries in the finance and personnel ministries and headed by the cabinet secretary to probe into the appointment of M Gopalakrishnan as the chairman and managing director of Indian Bank.
The bench consisting of Chief Justice J S Verma and Justice B N Kirpal told attorney general Ashok Desai that such a committee is necessary in view of the revelations made in the court in a public interest petition filed by Subramaniam Swamy. Senior counsel Anil Divan, appointed by the court to assist it in this matter, brought damning and confidential documents to the court and gave them to the judges.
The names and details were not revealed as they were considered to be sensitive. But the judges examined the papers before asking the government to give its response by next Monday.
Gopalakrishan was given several extensions in the post despite adverse remarks against him by the cabinet committee and several reports against him.
According to Divan, Rs 1,000 crore disappeared during this extended period and most of it went into political and non-performing areas.
He said several political leaders were also involved in the protection and favouring of Gopalakrishan.
Though he asked the judges to look into several paragraphs in the papers given to the judges, the names were not revealed. CBI director Joginder Singh and top officials from the CBI and economic wings were present in the court.
Divan said there were some 40 officers enquiring into the scam and they should not be transferred or removed.
He asked the court to appoint a judge of the Supreme Court or high court to enquire into the affair as it had done in the capital's Skipper real estate scam.
Counsel said the response of the government was delay and more delay. The attorney general is not giving any answer to the issues raised in this petition and is intend on sweeping everything under the carpet, he alleged.
