Supreme Court to hear black money case today

New Delhi, July 28 (ANI): The Supreme Court will hear the black money case today.

On May 4, a bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan allowed former Law Minister and reputed jurist Ram Jethmalani and five other petitioners to file a comprehensive rejoinder to the affidavit filed by the Centre on May 2 on the issue.

This was done even as the court did not issue any notice to the government.

The bench also held that the government could give their reply on the written submissions filed by the petitioners.The petitioners have reportedly objected to the delay in filing of the affidavit. They alleged that the government failed to keep up with their promise of filing the affidavit within 48 hours on April 22.

On May 2, the government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on the steps taken by it on the black money stashed in foreign banks.

The affidavit was filed in response to a public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Jethmalani, former Lok Sabha General Secretary Subhash C Kashyap and former Punjab Police chief KPS Gill.

The Centre had assured the apex court that it was doing its level best to retrieve the amount of over Rs. 70 lakh crore in black money believed to be stored in foreign banks by rich Indians.

In the affidavit, the government claimed that the lawsuit filed against it was " politically motivated".

Doubting the intensions of filing the lawsuit in the middle of the general elections, the Centre had also sought the dismissal of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by Jethmalani and others, who have been seeking court''s direction to the government to bring back the black money.

Jethmalani had mentioned the petition in front of the Court on April 22. The petitioners had alleged that the government was taking no action on the black money issue.

The Swiss banks are said to have the highest deposits by Indians. This fact was exposed after Swiss banks were forced by the US and other Western countries to disclose the details of their nationals who maintain accounts with them. (ANI)