Essar phone tapping case: HC to hear advocate's plea on June 27

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court will take up for hearing on June 27 the plea by an advocate for a court- monitored SIT probe into the alleged phone tapping by corporate major Essar of high-profile people and some union ministers.

The matter came up for hearing before a vacation bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and A K Pathak after the advocate sought an urgent hearing.

However, no order was passed as Justice Pathak recused himself from hearing the matter as he normally does not hear matters in which Centre's counsel Jasmeet Singh appears for personal reasons.

Though the lawyer's plea will now be heard by a new bench, today's bench orally suggested him to give whatever sensitive material he has to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a sealed cover.

"The limited issue before us is what to do about the custody of the sensitive material. You (petitioner) can give it to the MHA officer in a sealed cover," the bench said.

Advocate Suren Uppal's complaint filed before the Prime Minister's Office has already been forwarded to the MHA.

The advocate has sought a court-monitored probe into alleged illegal tapping of phones of high-profile people and some of the union ministers by corporate major Essar.

During the brief hearing Justice Mridul mentioned that he had passed a similar order of keeping in custody of Madhya Pradesh High Court Registrar the sensitive material relating to Vyapam scam held by the whistleblower.

The court, thereafter, renotified the matter for hearing on June 27 before another vacation bench.

Uppal in his plea has claimed that he has filed the petition on the basis of CDs of the recorded conversations whose genuineness also he wants to be examined.

Essar has denied allegations of wrong doings.