SC defers hearing in SCI, Hind Zinc sell-off cases

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned hearing on a case challenging the Centre’s privatisation programme for four weeks but has not set any fresh date. The case was adjourned as one of the parties to the case challenging privatisation of Jessop could not be served a notice for today’s hearing. The court was to hear the transfer petitions for clubbing all public interest litigations filed in various courts across the country with the petition challenging the privatisation of Jessop.
A fresh date for the hearing would be listed after notices are served on all the parties concerned. The transfer petitions for PILs challenging privatisation of Shipping Corporation of India, Burn Standard and Hindustan Zinc were to be heard today. The SC was also to hear tagging of petitions filed by officers’ associations of Engineers India and National Fertiliser.
Jessop’s employees had challenged the government’s privatisation policy after the court froze the sale of oil firms Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum until the government got Parliament’s approval.