Alok Verma hearing in SC: CJI furious at 'leaked' report in The Wire; Fali Nariman says published stories not classified

The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing in CBI director Alok Verma’s case to 29 November citing leakage of CVC (Central Vigilance Committee) report which was submitted to the Supreme Court last week. Verma submitted his response to the CVC report, which is probing corruption charges against him, after the top court granted him additional time to make the submission. On Tuesday, however, adjourning the hearing to 29 November, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi handed over a report published in The Wire to Fali Nariman, one of Verma’s lawyers, which had contents of Verma’s response which was supposed to be in sealed cover, reports said. Bar and Bench reported that Gogoi was “deeply upset” about the leak. The Wire issued a clarification, claiming that the reports were on Verma’s responses to questions the CVC put to him. “We expressed that highest degree of confidentiality should be maintained and this litigant takes the papers and shares it with everyone. Our respect for this institution is not shared by anyone for some strange reason,” said CJI Gogoi.

This is to clarify that @thewire_in stories were on Alok Verma’s responses to questions the CVC put to him. These were not in a sealed cover and were not meant for the SC. As for his response to CVC’s final report, handed over to SC in sealed cover, we haven’t seen/reported that. https://t.co/ej7htVwBRJ

— The Wire (@thewire_in) November 20, 2018

Nariman also clarified reiterating that the reports published by The Wire about response to CVC and it was published before the Supreme Court order. “We did not give the article to you as a counsel for Alok Verma”, Gogoi was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.

#CBI - #AlokVerma: Fali Nariman says @thewire_in article handed over to him is about response to CVC and it was published before the Supreme Court order.

"We did not give the article to you as a counsel for Alok Verma", says CJI Gogoi.

— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) November 20, 2018

After the Supreme Court deferred the matter to 29 November, Nariman asked the apex court again to give some time before the bench rises to make some clarifications. A fresh hearing began soon after where Nariman told Gogoi that the articles by The Wire were about responses to the CVC and it “was published before the Supreme Court order”. As Gogoi lost his temper over secretive contents of Alok Verma’s response to the apex court were leaked, Nariman has responded saying, “What do we do with everyone snooping around and trying to get some information?” The Supreme Court, which was to give its ruling on Centre’s order divesting Verma of his power, expressed strong displeasure over the leak of the sidelined CBI director’s confidential reply in the media and adjourned the hearing. Gogoi was agitated with Nariman over the mentioning on Monday seeking additional time to file reply. Nariman said that mentioning by Gopal Sankaranarayanan on Monday was “unauthorised” and he was not even informed. He got to know from media.