Greater scrutiny of RAW & IB will risk own existence: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to admit a plea for greater scrutiny of the actions and funds of the country’s key intelligence agencies including Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, and National Technical Research Organisation, saying any such move will endanger “national security” and “our very own existence”.

A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and Shivakirti Singh said, “A judicial order to audit these agencies will create a dent in their functioning and security. This would lead to a dangerous situation. Sorry, we will not interfere. We must give them room to work and there is no need for judicial interference.”

The plea was filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation in 2013 and its case was being argued by lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

“Why should we interfere in something which is in the executive domain? For example, water supply (possibly alluding to the water crisis in Delhi caused by the Jat agitation in neighbouring Haryana)? That is purely an executive issue.” Justice Misra told Bhushan.

Bhushan said the intelligence agencies had a budget of Rs 60,000 cr a year and they enjoyed unbridled powers to snoop on citizens, widely impinging upon their privacy. He added, “There is no account of how much and where they spend.”

But the bench brushed aside his arguments in the face of opposition from Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi.

Rohatgi argued any such audit would expose the intelligence officials to the public. They are already vulnerable due to their job profile, he said. “How can we have auditing when the country is facing so much of hostility from all sides?” he asked