The Delhi High Court reserved its decision on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to provide a list of 176 private liquor vendors who were allegedly harassed by officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The petition also requests that authorities be identified who were reportedly harassing 176 private liquor dealers, forcing them to close their businesses and depriving them of the livelihood provided by Article 21 of the Constitution.
While holding the judgement reserved on Monday, the bench of Justice Satish Chander Sharma and Justice Subramaniam Prasad also raised the question of how a PIL can be maintained if certain private individuals are being harassed. The bench stated that legal remedies are possible.
Advocates Santosh Kumar Tripathi and Arun Panwar, representing the Delhi Government, contested the plea and asked the court to reject it with costs.
The appeal added that the remedy sought in this suit is to restore the prestige of major Central Agencies like as the CBI and ED, which have come under fire for being the cause of the loss of livelihood for 176 private liquor merchants.
The appeal further noted that the recent charge of Rs 1400 money laundering by the ex-Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission during demonetization has reduced the distinguished Khadi and Village Industries Commission’s reputation in the eyes of the general public. The current PIL requests that the Delhi Government/AAP MLA making the claims either give documentation to corroborate their allegations or publicly apologise, according to the petition.
