The Supreme Court’s recent observations on the Adani-Hindenburg case have provided a breath of fresh air amidst the polluted political atmosphere in the nation. The rising ‘AQI’ (Accusation Quotient Index) in politics has caused a toxic environment similar to the hazardous levels of pollution in the national capital.
The court’s comments not only have significant implications in jurisprudence but also have the potential to set a benchmark for our accusation-laden polity. The practice of tarnishing political opponents using the shoot-and-scoot tactic has been prevalent since Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s famous “paisa khaya kaun dalal?” (who pocketed the bribe?) jibe at Rajiv Gandhi in 1987.
The Bofors scandal, which originated from media reports abroad, has still not resulted in the conviction of the alleged “bribe-taker” even after 46 years. This scandal had a detrimental impact on the nation’s strategic arms acquisitions during that time. However, the current Modi regime has managed to reverse this slowdown. Rahul Gandhi’s “chowkidar chor hai” (watchman is a thief) jibe in 2019 was a result of the acquisitions made by the Modi government, and he later apologized to the Supreme Court for his remarks.
The Hindenburg report, which originated from foreign shores, caused a significant decline in the stock exchange, resulting in common investors in India losing their fortunes. However, short-sellers who took advantage of the situation benefitted immensely. The Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, stated on Friday that the Hindenburg report cannot be considered as the “true state of affairs.” The court refused to accept reports based on the document published by London’s Financial Times and Guardian as the “gospel truth.”
During the court proceedings, a phenomenon of round-tripping of information emerged, which can be compared to news laundering. The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, pointed out that the OCCRP (Organised Crime & Corruption Reporting Project), whose findings were relied upon in the Hindenburg report, had used information provided by an NGO run by Prashant Bhushan in India. Both the OCCRP and the NGO are funded by billionaire George Soros.
Furthermore, it was revealed that a revenue intelligence report cited by Bhushan was from 2007 and had already been closed after a probe six years ago. Chief Justice Chandrachud clarified that Bhushan’s allegations regarding siphoning off money and manipulating the stock exchange were not true.
These developments in the Supreme Court come at a time when political discourse has reached its lowest point. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used the superstitious word “panauti” (harbinger of bad luck) to describe Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other politicians, such as Mamata Banerjee and Sanjay Raut, also made similar insinuations about Modi’s presence affecting India’s performance in the cricket World Cup final.
Rahul Gandhi’s use of the word “panauti” is indicative of his disagreement with his great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, who advised sportsmen to “play the game in the spirit of the game.” This disagreement is not surprising, as Rahul Gandhi disbanded Nehru’s newspaper National Herald when he was Congress president. The assets of National Herald are now under investigation, not initiated by the Modi government, but by Subramaniam Swamy, a bitter critic of Modi.
Rahul Gandhi also accused Modi of weakening Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), but recent financial reports show that HAL’s turnover and profit have been on the rise. HAL is even exploring opportunities for exports and collaborations with international companies.
After the Supreme Court’s observations on the Hindenburg case, it is hoped that politicians will rely on reliable and verifiable information rather than personal jibes in the upcoming 2024 elections. These observations have the potential to set a new standard for political discourse and hold politicians accountable for their accusations.
(Note: This article is a rewritten version of the original news article.)
