NRHM scam: SC stays HC decision to treat Shukla plea as PIL

The Supreme Court Monday stayed the Allahabad High Court order to treat the petition of IAS officer Pradeep Shukla, an accused in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission scam, as a PIL and monitor the investigation.

Shukla had pleaded at the High Court to quash the FIRs registered against him since, he claimed, the CBI had not taken proper sanction for his prosecution from the Department of Personnel and Training.

The HC, unhappy with the delay in the probe against Shukla and in the grant of sanction for his prosecution, decided to treat the plea as a PIL. "We have taken a decision to henceforth treat this petition as a Public Interest Litigation and to call for reports periodically for monitoring the progress of the preliminary inquiries, investigations, grant of sanctions and other consequential matters for ensuring there are no further unacceptable delays at different stages," the court said.

In the Supreme Court on Monday, Attorney General G E Vahanvati objected to certain observations made by the HC. He also dismissed the allegation that the Centre had ordered the CBI not to arrest a particular person in the scam.

"The petition has now become uncontrollable. The observations made by the HC are absolutely wrong and unacceptable. The facts will show there was no delay on the part of the CBI and the sanction is also on its way," he said.

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