"Media Gives You Knowledge? Disclose Your Source"; SC Directs Petitioner To Serve Copy To UOI In PIL Against MOUs Between China and India

The Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde noted that the PIL stated that the source of knowledge of the Petitioner was the media, and accordingly asked the Petitioner to disclose the source to the Court.

"You say media is your source of knowledge. Media gives you knowledge? You have to disclose your source to the Court. You serve a copy on the Union of India and then we will see", observed the CJI.

The PIL, filed by Advocates Om Prakash Parihar and Dushyant Tiwari on behalf of Supriya Pandita, submits that in wake of the ban on applications based out of China, a few select businesses and/or State Governments have been allowed to engage in an MOU with Chinese business houses or stakeholders from China.

"This selective and preferential to these few select businesses, or few select Staes to enter into MOU with Chinese business house or stakeholders from China treatments is not only discriminatory, but also against the will and sentiments of the People of India (sic)".

In wake of these observations, derived from the Petitioner's "personal knowledge and information collected from various sources, including newspapers and websites", the Petitioner seeks for the full disclosure of the trade policies with the Government of China.

It further seeks for a direction to terminate the MOUs signed with the Chinese government and/or Chinese companies for trade and business purposes as it "is not only discriminatory, but also against the will and sentiments of the People of India. More so such MOUs are against Prime Minister's own call for Atmanirbhar Bharat (sic)".