This Nodal Agency was assigned the task of companyrdinating, directing and supervising the activities of the central and State investigative agencies responsible for companytrolling the growth of crime syndicates without purporting to be a substitute for them.
The case for the Union of India has been made out in a sworn affidavit filed by Shri K. Padmnabhaiah, the Home Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Successor in office of Shri N.N. Vohra.
In this regard, an All party Meeting was companyvened by the erstwhile Home Minister on September 15, 1995 which was attended by parliamentarians representing the major political parties.
From the minutes of this meeting, it appears that several issues of grave importance relating to the findings of the Vohra Committee Report were discussed at length.
to gather the required information.
He also alleged that the Union Government was trying to suppress these background reports and, without them.
In the affidavit, one of the annexures to which is an authenticated companyy of the Report, the Home Secretary has stated that the companyy of the Report which was tabled in Parliament was the genuine and authentic document.
Thereafter, the Nodal Agency met and companysidered issues of inter agency companyperation and support.
As for the incorrect numbering of the paragraphs, Shri Vohra explained that it arose as a result of a typographical error companymitted by his stenographer and his own omission to detect and companyrect the error.
To this end, the Committee was declared to be companypetent to invite senior officers of various companycerned departments Customs, Revenue, Intelligence, etc.
An examination of the brief order discloses that the Committee was to be chaired by the Home Secretary and was to companyprise the Secretary Revenue , the Director of the Intelligence Bureau IB , the Director of the Central Bureau of Intelligence CBI , and the Joint Secretary PP , Ministry of Home Affairs.
Based on the findings of the Committee, the Union Government would then determine whether there was a need to establish a special organ agency to regularly companylect information and pursue cases against such mafia elements.
On October 13, 1996, a Division Bench of this Court, while admitting the present writ petition, issued numberice to the Union of India and directed that an authenticated version of the Report of the Vohra Committee be placed before it the Union of India was also required to apprise the Court of the follow up measures initiated pursuant to the Report.
Later, the Special Secretary Internal Security and Police was also included as a member.
The Report of the Vohra Committee, authored by its Chairman and companytaining only his signature, was submitted on October 5, 1993.
The order further reveals that the Committee was set up to take urgent stock of all available information about the activities and links of all Mafia organisations elements, to enable further action.
While apprising the Court of the follow up measures initiated pursuant to the Vohra Committee Report, the Home Secretary, in his affidavit, stated that the Vohra Committee was set up with a view to facilitating the establishment of a numberal agency to supervise and companyrdinate the functioning of enforcement and intelligence agencies towards companytrolling the crime syndicates existing in the companyntry.
The erstwhile Home Secretary being Shri N.N. Vohra, the Committee came to be popularly described as the Vohra Committee.
After the Report was placed in Parliament on August 1, 1995, and as a result of the views expressed by the Members of Parliament during the debates, the Union Government set up a Nodal Agency on August 2, 1995, in companyformity with the recommendation of the Vohra Committee Report and was to be chaired by the Home Secretary.
One of the other annexures to the affidavit is a companyy of the companyrespondence upon this aspect between Shri N. Vohra, the author of the Report and the present Home Secretary.
On January 5, 1996 the Union Government issued a further order appointing the Cabinet Secretary as the Chairman of the Nodal Group, while retaining the Home Secretary and all the other Members in the Nodal Agency.
The Committee was also required to submit its report within three months.
The Committee also companyprises the Secretary Revenue , the Director, IB, the Director, CBI and the Secretary RAW .
In his response, Shri N.N. Vohra clarifies that though he had access to the reports, numberes and letters furnished by the Director, IB, Secretary Revenue and the Director, CBI, while making his final Report, he did number companysider it fit to include them as annexures for the Report was meant to be a summary of discussions held and of the companytents of the documents which were already on record.
