Supreme Court says no to ED's plea against order not to disclose details of cases related to TMC leader's wife

Supreme Court refuses ED plea against High Court order on Rujira Banerjee probe, media guidelines.

The Supreme Court on March 7 refused to entertain a plea moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a Calcutta High Court order, in which guidelines were issued to probe agencies for not disclosing to the public or media, before the filing of a charge sheet, the details of a probe related to any person, an accused, a suspect or witness insofar as Rujira Banerjee is concerned.

The High Court order had come on a plea moved by Ms. Rujira Banerjee, the wife of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, in which she has alleged that Central probe agencies and the media are indulging in her character assassination and maligning her family by regularly publishing information regarding the probe being carried out by the agencies, including the ED, regarding alleged financial and other scams.

A Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra told Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, who appeared in the matter on behalf of the ED, that since the agency’s plea is against an interim order of the High Court, the Supreme Court is not inclined to entertain it.

Mr. Raju contended that it is virtually a final order as guidelines have been issued and ultimate relief has been granted to Ms. Banerjee by the interim order.

He sought a direction for a stay of the guidelines.

The Bench told Mr. Raju that the court would either dismiss the ED’s plea or the agency can withdraw it as it is against an interim order of the High Court.

Mr. Raju then agreed to withdraw the plea, a request that was allowed by the court. On October 17 last year, the High Court issued a slew of guidelines and directed the probe agencies and media outlets to strictly adhere to those.