CJI Surya Kant Questions Lawyer Seeking Urgent Hearing in Rahul Gandhi Disproportionate Assets Case

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday questioned a lawyer seeking an urgent hearing in a disproportionate assets case involving Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, asking whether the move was intended to attract media attention.

“There is no head, no tail to this mentioning,” the CJI remarked while expressing dissatisfaction with the grounds presented by the lawyer for seeking an early listing.

The lawyer sought an urgent hearing, referring to an alleged recent statement by Gandhi at an event that he was in touch with 200 officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Responding to the submission, Chief Justice Kant asked the lawyer, “Have you spoken to any news channel for this?”

Following the exchange, the CJI orally instructed court staff to discontinue the live streaming of mentioning proceedings henceforth.

Supreme Court Had Earlier Stayed Proceedings

The exchange comes against the backdrop of an earlier Supreme Court order staying proceedings before the Allahabad High Court in the disproportionate assets case and restraining the CBI and the ED from submitting any report to the High Court.

The case stems from a complaint filed by Karnataka-based BJP worker S. Vignesh Shishir, who alleged that Gandhi possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

In August, the Supreme Court asked the Allahabad High Court to defer proceedings in the matter and directed the central investigative agencies not to submit any report before it.

The apex court also observed that if an agency had information about disproportionate assets belonging to an individual, it could proceed independently, without requiring a court order to do so.

Rahul Gandhi Challenges High Court Directions

Gandhi had approached the Supreme Court challenging directions issued by the Allahabad High Court to the CBI and the ED to verify the allegations against him.

He also filed a separate transfer petition seeking to move the proceedings from the Allahabad High Court to the Delhi High Court.

The allegations concerning disproportionate assets remain allegations and have not been established as a judicial finding in the proceedings described.

The latest exchange took place during the lawyer’s request for an early hearing, with the Supreme Court having previously stayed the proceedings before the Allahabad High Court.