The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a petition filed by fourteen political parties alleging that Central investigating agencies are being misused by the Centre. A division bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala said that it cannot issue general directions without a factual context. The petition, filed by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi on behalf of the Opposition parties, claimed that there was a drastic and exponential increase in the number of cases registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Opposition leaders.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud expressed doubts about the validity and feasibility of the petition. He asked Mr Singhvi whether he was seeking immunity for Opposition parties from investigation and prosecution and whether they had any special rights as citizens.
The Chief Justice was not convinced by Mr Singhvi’s arguments and said that the petition was essentially a plea for politicians. He said the petition did not take into account the rights and interests of other citizens who might be affected by corruption or criminality.