PIL in SC demands action on 1993 Vohra Committee report

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20

A BJP leader has moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to hand over the 1993 report of the Vohra Committee to various Central agencies, including NIA, CBI, ED, IB, SFIO, RAW, CBDT and NCB, for a comprehensive probe into the criminal-politician nexus.

Delhi BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay sought concrete action on the report submitted by then Union Home Secretary NN Vohra on the alleged link between crime syndicates, politicians and bureaucrats.

He urged the top court to direct the government to reveal the names of the criminals, politicians and public servants against whom there was tangible evidence in the report and set up special courts to expeditiously try all cases referred to in the report.

Upadhyay wanted the court to address the systemic problem of criminalisation of politics without breaching the principle of separation of powers.

“Many of those named in the report are ministers, MPs even today and have been given Padma awards, Upadhyaya told The Tribune. He demanded that the top court should direct the Union Home Secretary to withdraw the Padma awards given to politicians and public servants referred to in the Vohra Committee report.

Pointing out that the report had recommended a Nodal Cell to be set up with powers to take stringent action against crime syndicates, Upadhyay alleged that no follow-up action has been taken in the last 27 years.

Noting that an incomplete version of the report was tabled in Parliament in 1995, he said citizens have a right to know about the complete report.

He sought a direction to the Home Secretary to handover a true copy of the Vohra Committee Report along with annexures and notes to the NIA Director, CBI Director, ED Director, IB Director, SFIO Director, RAW Director, NCB Director, CBDT Chairman and Lokpal Chairperson.

Upadhyay said the Lokpal Chairperson should be directed to monitor the probe into the alleged criminal-politician nexus. Alternatively, the top court should constitute a Judicial Commission to monitor the probe by NIA, CBI, ED, IB, SFIO, RAW, NCB and CBDT into the issues highlighted by the report, he said.