SC to hear 'misuse of probe agencies' plea on Wednesday
The Supreme Court (SC) is scheduled to hear a petition filed by opposition parties led by the Congress alleging misuse of central investigation agencies by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre on Wednesday. The plea would be heard by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud. At least 14 parties filed the plea before the SC on March 24.
CJI-led three-judge bench will hear Opposition plea
Per the"list of businesses" on the SC's website, the petition of the opposition parties will be heard on Wednesday (April 5) by a three-judge bench led by the CJI and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala. Notably, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi called the joint petition for an immediate hearing on March 24.
Political parties that petitioned the SC
Reportedly, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal played a key role in bringing the opposition parties together, per NDTV. Other parties that approached the SC include the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Janata Dal (United), among others.
Plea comes in the backdrop of political arrests, convictions
The plea was filed a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a 2019 defamation case. A political row is also raging over the arrest of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in connection with the now-canceled Delhi Liquor Policy case. The Opposition has described the BJP's conduct as a "ploy" to "harass" opponents. The claims, however, were denied by the BJP.
