NEW DELHI: In an embarrassment to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a senior law officer of the government on Friday slammed the agency for filing a “half-baked” affidavit in response to a bail plea in the Supreme Court, but later termed it a miscommunication.
“This affidavit (of ED) was filed in hot haste without being vetted. There is something wrong on the ED side. I smell something fishy and have ordered a departmental inquiry,” Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju told a Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan.
“Without consultation, a half-baked affidavit has been filed even before we made an appearance,” Raju, who represented the ED, told the Bench.
The court was hearing an appeal filed by Indian Telecom Services officer Arun Pati Tripathi against an October 25, 2024, order of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which rejected his bail plea in connection with a liquor scam case.
Following the ASG’s statement, the Bench sought the presence of the Advocate on Record (AoR), who filed the ED’s reply. However, later, Raju said the AoR was not to be blamed, adding that he did not disown the affidavit. “The affidavit was submitted without vetting,” he told the Bench.
As the Bench said, “You (Raju) are casting aspersions on the AoR”, the ASG clarified that he was not casting aspersions on anyone and apologised to the Bench for the miscommunication. “Let it proceed. I will not file a fresh affidavit … I did not say AoR has to be blamed … Please bury the hatchet,” Raju said.
The Bench posted the matter for hearing on February 5.