Made mistake by issuing notice on pleas for franchise scam probe: SC

New Delhi, Feb 8 : The Supreme Court on Monday said it committed a mistake by issuing notice on pleas seeking probe by multiple agencies in the franchise scam where scores of people were cheated.
At the beginning of the hearing, a bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, said: “We had made a mistake by issuing notice in this.” The Chief Justice added the court has no problem in admitting its mistake.
In November last year, the top court had issued notice to Centre and its agencies on three separate pleas against Westland Trade Private Ltd. Then, the top court had sought reply from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and others in the matter.
Lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, representing Mahendra Singh Rana and 37 other victims of alleged franchise racket, submitted before the bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, that the court had agreed to examine the matter and now the victims shouldn’t be asked to move the High Court. The bench stressed that it made a mistake by issuing notice in the matter, but added that the remarks were not made on the merits of the case.
As Upadhyay submitted that he would move the Delhi High Court, the bench told the lawyer that he should moved the High Court concerned.