Country’s top industrialist Ratan Tata stung by the public disclosure of his private conversation with corporate lobbyist Nira Radia on Monday filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking direction for destruction of “Radia tapes” after they had served the purpose of investigation for which the income tax department had done the recording.
While seeking thorough probe into the “systematic leak” of the tapes recorded by the IT department sometimes in 2009, Tata’s counsel Harish Slave gave pointed details about the issues raised by one of the country’s top industrialists on alleged violation of his right to privacy guaranteed under the Constitution.
Salve, who got the petition filed through law firm Karanjewala Ltd, said Mr Tata has sought complete ban on the “future leaks” of the tapes, if any, still left with the investigating agencies. He has sought to invoke Supreme Court’s 1996 ruling in the PUCL case laying down the guidelines for tapping of phones of any person in the interest of national security and in connection with the investigation of complex cases.
Since in that verdict the apex court has said that such recording should be “destroyed” after six months of the probe, Tata also has sought to invoke the ruling in the “Radia tapes” also if their investigative purpose was over.
But the CBI in an affidavit filed in the top court last week had said that it was yet to complete the examination of “Radia tapes” provided to it by the IT department.
However, Mr Tata has no objection on any probe agency resorting to the tapping of the phones in the process of their investigation provided the recorded conversation was used only for the purpose it was done, Mr Slave said but refused to share the copies of the petition with media till the case is heard by the apex court.
Mr Tata has named the Union government, CBI and the IT department as respo-ndents, Mr Salve said.
***
Pawar comes out in Tata’s support
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
Nov. 29: The NCP supremo and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar wants the government to take seriously the views expressed by the noted industrialist and Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata on the leakage and “unauthorised” publication of tapes of his conversation with corporate lobbyist Niira Radia.
Mr Pawar raised this issue at a luncheon meeting called by the Leader of Lok Sabha and finance minister of the UPA constituents with regard to current impasse in Parliament over the 2G spectrum allocation issue.
According to the sources Mr Pawar said Mr Tata is a noted industrialist and he expressed concern on the issues keeping in mind the larger interest of the society and the nation. The government should take it seriously.
Mr Tata expressed this in recent interviews.He had said that government agencies should show a “sense of responsibility” to use the “special right to be able to invade people’s privacy for national security or for enforcement of law, whatever it may be” for prosecution purposes alone.
He also compared the leak of the tapes to a “Banana Republic kind of attack on whoever one chooses to attack.”