SC declines to issue notice to Karunanidhi

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to issue notices to Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi and other officials on a contempt petition filed by opposition AIADMK in connection with state-wide bandh called by the DMK on the Sethusamudram project controversy. A Bench comprising Justices B N Aggrawal and V S Sirpurkar said that the matter will be taken up for hearing on assigned date.

Declining to entertain the plea of the AIADMK counsel, the Bench observed that “Before issuing any notice, we have to apply our mind and we will decide when the matter would come up for hearing. What was the urgency in the contempt petition for being mentioned, when the matter was already listed for hearing on October 29. A case of contempt is made out if what the petitioner had said orally was true, but we do not know what has been said on oath”.

Opposing the plea of the AIADMK, Additional Solicitor General Vikas Singh and senior counsel A M Singhvi said that the matter was yet to be taken up for formal hearing and no notice should be issued before that.