The Centre pleaded before the Supreme Court on Monday that the M.B. Shah Commission’s report not be discussed or shared till it was tabled in Parliament.
It said that even after it was tabled, the government should be allowed to submit it to the court in a sealed cover.
Senior lawyer for the petitioners Prashant Bhushan said parts of the report had already been leaked.
Amicus curiae Harish Salve said the law did not prevent the government from making the report public before the mandatory tabling in Parliament within six months of its being submitted along with the action taken report. He said the contents of the report, as highlighted in the media, were shocking, and the law did not mandate that the report be classified as secret.
Mr. Bhushan said the six-month period by which the government should have tabled the report had expired. The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 10.