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The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it needed assistance to analyse the Central Bureau of Investigation’s CBI's voluminous coalgate probe reports and suggested appointment of amicus curiae to lend a helping hand to it.
A formal order for the appointment of amicus curiae (to assist the court) was not passed as consent of the senior advocate T R Andhyarujina, whose name was suggested, could not be taken as he was not present in the courtroom.
The order might be passed regarding this on the next date of hearing on November 26.
The proposition of appointing amicus was stiffly opposed by the CBI's counsel and senior advocate Amrendra Sharan raising questions on how can a lawyer be allowed to go through the status report when he is not allowed to see the contents of the report.
"My apprehension is that nobody in the capacity of amicus curiae act as ombudsman," Sharan said.
The CBI, however, relented when the bench headed by Justice R M Lodha said that Sharan will also be allowed to go through the reports to defend the agency in the case.
"We are facing a problem. Nobody is there to assist us in going through the status report. We want to have assistance. We need legal assistance of somebody to assist us in looking at status report," the bench said at the outset of hearing.
"We want assistance from you as well and one independent lawyer who will be amicus curiae," the bench said when Sharan opposed the appointement of amicus.
Sharan asked how a CBI counsel could be given a go bye and amicus curiae made privy to the status reports into the investigation of the matter which is going at good pace.
"You must keep pace but investigation hurried is investigation buried," the bench observed.