The Centre for Public Interest Litigation, NGO which successfully fought the 2G Spectrum scam case, on Friday moved the Supreme Court for a CBI investigation into the nexus between multi-billion dollar Essar Group and top bureaucrats, journalists and politicians, including Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and a host of UPA leaders.
The petition is based on internal emails and documents leaked from Essar by a whistleblower.The petition, supported by a host of annexures, mostly emails, alleged that Essar not only sponsored high-end gifts but also luxury travel of politicians and their family members. A series of emails details that Mr. Gadkari and his family used Essar vice-chairman Ravi Ruia’s 280-feet super luxury personal yacht ‘Sunrays’ for cruise in 2013 when he was BJP president.
“There are a total 9 persons, they will be staying with you for two nights July 7 and 8,” said an email to the yacht staff about the cruise. “All arrangements are made by Essar for the visit of Mr. Gadkari and his eight family members, including pick-up by a helicopter from the Nice airport to the cruise and all meals during their stay.
On July 7, 2013, the Gadkari family is flown to the yacht in a helicopter from Nice airport and after the cruise, they are flown back to the airport on July 9, 2013,” the petition details the information gleaned from the emails.
Gadkari’s response“I want to see new things and when Essar people invited me to see their yacht, I accepted their invitation. I would have gone to see it even if they had placed a ticket of Rs. 500 for admission,” Mr. Gadkari told the media on Friday.
The petition compares the Essar leaks to recent Petroleum Ministry leaks in which several arrests, including that of ministry officials, have been made. It pointed to how “Essar has been cultivating ministers, politicians, bureaucrats and journalists in order to serve its business interests.” The petition alleged how “Essar, in turn, apparently gets favoured from influential persons who take executive decisions, change public policies, raise questions in Parliament, leak government documents and plant stories in the media.”
