The Supreme Court on Moday asked the Centre to place CAG report on alleged irregularities in purchasing of equipments by National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), a premier technical intelligence gathering agency.

A bench of justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad asked the government to place the report in a sealed cover on the next date of hearing and posted the matter for March 19.

The court was hearing a petition filed by V K Mittal, a scientist who voluntarily retired as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) from NTRO, seeking a direction to the Centre to produce all the reports relating to NTRO, namely the inquiry report of the CVC, report of an one-member inquiry done at the behest of the PMO as well as a special audit report of CAG before the apex court.

NTRO was created by the government in 2004 under the Prime Minister's Office essentially to deal with Missile Monitoring, Satellite and Airborne Imagery, Cyber Patrolling and Security, Cyber Offensive operations, communication support systems as well as Cryptology.

Mittal moved apex court challenging the Delhi High Court's order which had in April last disposed off his petition after the Centre said departmental proceedings have been initiated against the erring officers who committed the alleged administrative and financial irregularities causing a loss to the public exchequer.