Supreme Court rejects Vilasrao's 'blessing' argument

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court Friday issued notice to the Maharashtra government, film maker Subhash Ghai and PIL petitioner Rajendra Lakshman Sontakke on a plea by union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh challenging the adverse remarks passed against him by the Bombay High Court in a land allocation case.

A court bench headed by Justice HL Dattu also issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Mr Deshmukh's lawyer argued in court that he had "signed in the agreement between Ghai and the Film corporation as a token of blessing and has no hand in transaction."

To this the court said, "Blessings are given by hand not by signature..." and asked, "What is the message given by this signature?"

The court has asked for a response in four weeks, after which Deshmukh has been given two weeks to file his reply.

The Bombay High Court, while cancelling the allotment of 20 acres of government land to Ghai's Whistlingwood International, had described the role of then Maharashtra Chief Minister Deshmukh as depricable and said that he clearly misused his office and had accepted undue favours.

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