Hampers "Open Justice": Supreme Court's Strong Remarks On Sealed Cover

"There cannot be a blanket immunity to the government for disclosure of information to the other parties in a proceeding before the court," the Supreme Court said

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, known by now to be a strong critic of "sealed cover" submissions, made the reasons for his objections clear today. During the hearing of a case involving the Central ban on a news channel, the top court slammed the government for filing its views under "sealed cover", where the contents cannot be made public.

The Centre's contention that the matter involved national security was shredded by the court, which said, "National security claims cannot be made on the basis of thin air... There is nothing to show terrorist links".

"There cannot be a blanket immunity to the government for disclosure of information to the other parties in a proceeding before the court... All investigation reports cannot be termed secret as these affect the rights and liberty of the citizens," the Supreme Court said.

Even otherwise, "While public interest immunity claims conceivably impact the principles of natural justice, sealed cover proceedings infringe the principles natural justice and open justice," the judges said.