Cash-for-votes scam: Supreme court slams Delhi Police for probe

Slamming the Delhi police for its clean chit to politicians in cash-for-vote scam and its "half-hearted and hopeless" probe, the Supreme Court today asked the police to take the probe to its logical conclusion and submit a final report in three weeks.

A bench of Justices Aftab Alam and RM Lodha, while lamenting that a middleman of the "cheapest kind" was allowed to derail parliamentary proceedings, termed the probe conducted so far as "half-hearted, meaningless and hopeless".

It asked the probe officials to shed their inhibitions and act in a free and fair manner since the investigations are being conducted at the directions of the apex court.

"Drop your inhibitions and follow the letter of your law. Your second report is as meaningless or hopeless as the first report.

"Delhi police is capable of doing investigation as good as any other agency. But Delhi police seems to be having inhibitions. You should drop the inhibition," the bench told Additional Solicitor General Haren Rawal appearing for the police department.

When Rawal sought to clarify that the investigation was proceeding in the right direction, the bench remarked "it is a half-hearted attempt by you (Delhi police). You must take it to the logical conclusion."

The bench made the remarks after perusing the preliminary report of Delhi Police which had claimed no political leader was involved in the 2008 scam.

Declining to grant 40 days time sought by Delhi Police, the court asked it to submit a final report within three weeks.

The apex court regretted that a middleman was allowed to interfere with parliamentary proceedings.

"It is so disgusting that a middle man of the cheapest kind had been allowed to interfere with parliamentary proceedings and he had succeeded," the bench observed.