Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SP)

New Delhi, Feb 6: The Supreme Court, which took up petitions moved by Nandi Infrastrucre Corridor Enterprise (NICE) against the High Court order treating a letter written to its judges by ex-Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda alleging large-scale irregularities in the execution of the project as a Public Interst Litigation (PIL), on Wednesday February 4 expressed its displeasure at the said letter and dubbed Gowda's move as slanderous.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat commented that seeking recourse to writing a letter to the High Court judges by Gowda was unfortunate. It also expressed its disapproval at the forwarding of a book published by the Janatadal (S) that supposedly contains details of fraud and covertive measures undertaken by NICE to defeat the justice system in the execution of Bangalore-Mysore Corridor Project.

"We have not seen the book. But sending of the book tantamount to contempt," the court observed. "Our verdicts can go wrong. But we can never be influenced," the bench, other judges of which are Justice V S Sirpurkar and Justice A K Ganguly, said.

It may be recalled, that the High Court, after treating Gowda's letter as a PIL, entrusted it to the Lokayukta for investigation.

As senior advocate Dushyant Dave who appeared on behalf of NICE said that the company is yet to get a copy of the order issued by the High Court for Lokayukta investigation, the bench said that it would hold further hearing in the case on February 9.

At the same time, the court postponed the hearing in another petition moved by Jnanjpith Awardee Kannada writer U R Anantamurty alleging irregularities in the said project, to the second week of April this year.