The Supreme Court on Thursday told the Centre to make sure that the Pune-based Mr Hasan Ali Khan, accused of tax evasion, does not leave India and is available for prosecution.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by eminent jurist Mr Ram Jethmalani and others seeking its direction to retrieve black money worth over $1 trillion from abroad.

The Solicitor General Mr Gopal Subramanium told the court that Mr Khan is in India and that the investigation against him has entered a crucial stage. He said the Centre was taking all necessary steps against Mr Khan. The court also asked whether Mr Khan could be made a party in the case.

Mr Subramanium assured the court that the Government would disclose the names of persons who have allegedly parked black money overseas, at an appropriate stage, which is after registering a formal case against them. In this regard, Mr Subramanium said the Government had already issued show-cause notices against such persons.

Senior advocate Mr Anil Divan, representing Mr Jethmalani, alleged that the Government was not taking effective measures on the issue of black money. Referring to certain reports that Letters Rogatory were issued to authorities in five countries – the US, the UK, UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong - on information about black money, he claimed that no further steps were taken.

But Mr Subramanium argued that the Government had taken “remarkable” measures and submitted a sealed envelope stating that the relevant information was in it. The court will take up the case again on March 3.