Coming down heavily on the Income Tax Department for not being fast and on time for submitting the papers related to the investigation into the 2G scam in the Apex Court, it said no matter how big and wealthy the accused are no body should be spared.
“The IT department must be quicker. This is not a normal case of tax evasion. It (the investigation) should have been done fast. These are not ordinary cases to be handled in an ordinary way”,the bench said.
The court said that the figures involved are “mind boggling” and “We haven’t seen so many zeroes in life”.
The Bench directed the IT department to submit the action taken report against tax evaders on May 13,the next date of hearing.
The court allowed the IT department to approach the special judge, trying the 2G case, to interrogate corporate officials who are in judicial custody for their alleged role in the scam.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea from the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) for the appointment of two independent persons for monitoring the case of this magnitude. The CPIL in its plea alleged that “big players are being let off”.
A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly assured the petitioners that no person, irrespective of their chair and wealth, could get immunity in any way” and said that “investigation in the case has made some progress, which would not not have been possible in normal circumstances.”
However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that no one will be spared and that investigation is going on in full swing into the alleged role of Reliance and the Tatas in the scam.
The chances are high that in the next hearing on May 13 the Supreme Court bench might look into the plea of the appointment of independent persons to assist the court in monitoring the probe.