Greeva Garg –
Published on : September 3, 2021 at 09:22 IST
The Delhi High Court issued a notice on a contempt application filed by the Telecom Watchdog.
The Petition was filed last year in the matter pertaining to grant of telecom contacts to private players under the Universal Services Obligation, allegedly without conducting a tender process.
The matter involved thousands of crores rupees in the dispute.
The application was filed against Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Deputy Administrator, and some Police officials for allegedly interfering with the administration of Justice by threatening the petitioner organization’s President with criminal legal action.
“The conduct of the Delhi Police in calling Signing authority of the Petitioner organisation to the police station and subsequently asking him to reveal/disclose the source of the documents iled before this Hon’ble Court (and to face consequences if he doesn’t do so) is direct and blatant interference with the due course of judicial proceedings and obstruction of administration of justice, amounting to criminal contempt of this Hon’ble Court,” the application stated.
The Division Bench comprised Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh refused to issue notices to Police officials.
Earlier, in December 2020, the Court directed the Central Government to file a reply into the application for contempt filed by the petitioner over the matter.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the Petitioner informed the Court that the Delhi Police has lodged an FIR against the President of Telecom Watchdog for allegedly leaking confidential documents of the Telecom Authority and is now threatening to arrest him.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, representing Respondents contended that this is proxy litigation and the Court must put the Petitioner to a strict scrutiny of locus. The Court has posted the matter for further hearing on September 17.