SC lifts gag order on publishing Amar Singh tapes

The Supreme Court has lifted its order restraining the media from publishing transcripts of tapped phone conversations between maverick Uttar Pradesh politician Amar Singh, other top Indian politicians, and Bollywood stars.

The order handed down today by a bench comprising judges G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly, gives the media freedom to publish these conversations, which were illegally tapped in 2006.

Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP and formerly a senior Samajwadi Party leader before his falling-out with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, filed a petition in the Supreme Court after the phone conversations came into public circulation.

He obtained a restraint order on 27 February 2006, when the court passed an interim order preventing the print and electronic media from publishing and broadcasting the contents of the tapped conversations of anyone, including Singh.

But the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, through its lawyer Prashant Bhushan, pleaded that it was the right of people to know about the possible illegal dealings of public figures. The application said this right of the people was guaranteed by the Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution and had also been upheld by the apex court.

While lifting its gag order on the media, the Supreme Court added that Amar Singh is free to proceed against the telecom operator concerned (Reliance Infocomm) for illegally tapping his phone.
 
It, however, added that there has been suppression of facts by Amar Singh in the case.