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Judiciary may take its own view on Balco: Sinha

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha admitted that the government's victory in the Lok Sabha on the Balco issue does not mean that its case has been strengthened.

"Victory in the House is different and the case in the court is another thing altogether," Sinha told rediff.com in an informal conversation.

"The judiciary would take its own view on the subject," he said.

"But our comprehensive victory in the House, not only in terms of votes but also in argument, had settled the issue of divestment once for all," he said.

When asked if he would be able to meet the target of divestment to the tune of Rs 120 billion set for the year 2001-2002 considering the fact that the government could not get even Rs 30 billion in the last fiscal year though its target was Rs 100 billion, Sinha said that he was confident that the government would be able to achieve the target without much difficulty.

The Union Minister of Law and Justice Arun Jaitley -- whose ministry would be fighting the legal battle on behalf of the government in Delhi high court and Chhattisgarh high court where two petitions against the divestment of Balco are pending -- told rediff.com that victory of the government on the Balco issue in the Lok Sabha would have an impact on the divestment case.

"But the judiciary tends to take its own view on all the subjects. Of course the government will defend its decision in the courts," Jaitley said.

Sources in the ministry of divestment said that the mood in the ministry was now upbeat following the defeat of the opposition motion on Balco in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

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