New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday castigated Delhi Police for their tardy investigations into bribery charges during a trust vote in parliament in 2008.
"We are wholly unsatisfied with the status report," the court said.
An apex court bench of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice R.M. Lodha lambasted police after they filed a status report on investigations into the alleged cash-for-vote episode.
Money was allegedly paid to three Lok Sabha members to secure their votes for a trust vote, after the Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance government over the India-US civilian nuclear deal.
The court asked whether police had thought of undertaking custodial interrogation of the people named in the scam to unearth the truth and track the trail of the money that allegedly changed hands.
The court directed Delhi Police July 7 to file a status report Friday.
Criticising police, Justice Alam said: "It is no investigation."
"Is it the way a serious and important case is investigated. What are your inferences and in which direction you are moving," the court asked Additional Solicitor General Harin Rawal who appeared for police.
The report was just a narration of statements recorded by the police of people other than the MPs allegedly involved, the court observed.
Justice Lodha rebuked police and said: "We have asked for the status report (on your investigation). You give us stories which are not even verifiable. There is no date and time when these statements were recorded."
The court directed police to file a comprehensive report taking into consideration its concerns.
The court order came during the hearing of a petition by former chief election commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh seeking investigations into the alleged scam by an independent agency.
Appearing for Lyngdoh, senior counsel Rajiv Dhawan described the status report as shocking as it did not give any reason for "such an inordinate delay in taking the investigation to its logical conclusion".
The case will now be heard after two weeks, the court said.