TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2002 (5) TMI 851
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....tions against Sri Markandey Chand who was then the Minister for Minor Irrigation and Rural Engineering Services in the Government of U.P. It is seen from the record that the said Minister had filed a counter affidavit denying the allegations leveled against him. In the said writ petitions, originally the High Court had passed certain interim orders staying the action initiated by the Department against which the Department had filed SLPs before this Court which challenge was allowed and this Court as per its order dated 3.4.2000 while directing the parties to maintain status quo as on the date of the said order, requested the High Court to hear and dispose of all the writ petitions within a period of 6 months from that date. After the said ....
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.... out the allegations against the Minister are very serious and the same pertained to many incidents and similar allegations have been made against the Minister by a large number of aggrieved Government servants before the High Court in their respective writ petitions. He said that there was sufficient material to come to the conclusion that the allegations made against the Minister are genuine, thus, he supported the impugned order of the High Court. 5. While none can dispute the power of the High Court under Article 226 to direct an inquiry by the CBI, the said power can be exercised only in cases where there is sufficient material to come to a prima facie conclusion that there is a need for such inquiry. It is not sufficient to have such....
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....g citizen. Therefore, it is clear that a decision to direct an inquiry by the CBI against a person can only be done if the High Court after considering the material on record comes to a conclusion that such material does disclose a prima facie case calling for an investigation by the CBI or any other similar agency, and the same cannot be done as a matter of routine or merely because a party makes some such allegations. In the instant case, we see that the High Court without coming to a definite conclusion that there is a prima facie case established to direct an inquiry has proceeded on the basis of 'ifs' and 'buts' and thought it appropriate that the inquiry should be made by the CBI. With respect, we think that this is no....
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....Court in the case of Common Cause (supra), must record a prima facie finding as to the truth of such allegations with reference to the reply filed. In the instant case, we have noticed that the High Court has merely proceeded on the basis of the averments made in the petitions without taking into consideration the reply filed and without expressing its prima facie opinion in regard to these allegations. This having been not done, we find it necessary that the judgment impugned should be set aside and the matters be remanded to the High Court to consider the pleadings of the parties and decide whether the material on record is sufficient to direct the inquiry by the CBI. While doing so, it will take into consideration not only the allegation....