Supreme Court refuses to frame guideline for protection of whistleblowers.

PTI; Monday, March 28, 2011,

The Supreme Court today refused to frame guidelines for protection of whistle blowers in the country, saying that it cannot make law.

A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice SH Kapadia refused to entertain a PIL seeking framing of guidelines for giving statutory protection to whistle blowers in the wake of the gruesome killing of Maharashtra additional collector Yeshwant Sonanwane allegedly by an oil mafia.

The PIL by advocates-N Raja Raman and Ajay Mandyal-cited a number of recent incidents in which whistle blowers have been killed or intimidated by mafias and political leaders to silence their voice against growing corruption in the country.

But the court refused to pass any order, saying that it was not possible to keep monitoring cases across the country. It, however, allowed the petitioners to approach the high court for protection of whistle blowers in a specific case. It also said that the court cannot ask the government to pass legislation in this regard.

The petitioners had urged the apex court to direct the Centre to frame a law to ensure that complaints of corruption are dealt with promptly and whistle blowers like RTI activists, journalists and advocates are given necessary protection.