SC disposes off PIL seeking court monitored investigation in AgustaWestland scam

The Supreme Court on Friday disposed off a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking court monitored investigation in AgustaWestland scam case. 

Solicitor General Mukul Rohatgi told the apex court that the investigation is already underway and the authorities are taking appropriate action. He told the court that an SIT is already probing the matter. 

The top court had earlier issued notice to the central government on the PIL filed by advocate ML Sharma, seeking registration of a police complaint against those named in an Italian court judgment in the AgustaWestland chopper graft case. 

The court in Milan, Italy, while convicting former senior executives of the AgustaWestland for allegedly paying bribes to secure the Indian deal for its helicopters, mentioned several names purportedly referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh among others. 

It is reported that the petitioner had urged the court to decide whether the decision of the Italian court was not enough to 'implicate and prosecute' the people whose names find mention in the judgment under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The PIL urged the court to address if the lowering of the helicopter's altitude scaling capacity from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres to facilitate AgustaWestland to qualify as suppliers was not a serious criminal offence compromising national security.