http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gujarat-snooping-row-Suspended-IAS-officer-files-affidavit-in-SC-seeks-CBI-probe/articleshow/26256433.cms
Gujarat snooping row: Suspended IAS officer files affidavit in SC, seeks CBI probeDhananjay Mahapatra<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Dhananjay-Mahapatra.cms> ,TNN | Nov 23, 2013, 01.51 PM IST NEW DELHI: Suspended IAS officer<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Suspended-IAS-officer> Pradeep Sharma <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Pradeep-Sharma> on Saturday filed details of illegal interception of a woman's phone allegedly by the Gujarat government in the Supreme Court and sought action against chief minister Narendra Modi<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Narendra-Modi> and his political aide Amit Shah. Filing his affidavit in the Supreme Court, Pradeep Sharma gave over 150 pages of transcripts of illegally intercepted phone calls and sought a CBI probe. The suspended IAS officer said he had been victimized by the Gujarat government because he knew of the alleged intimacy between Modi and "a 27-year-old woman architect, from Bangalore, but originally from Bhuj." "The snooping on the woman was done in utter disregard of the Indian Telegraph Act and the right to privacy of her and others," Sharma alleged in his affidavit. Sharma claimed that he was the one who had introduced the woman architect to Modi in 2004. Two investigative portals, Cobrapost and Gulail, had claimed on November 15 that Amit Shah <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Amit-Shah>, the former home minister of Gujarat and Modi's close aide, had ordered illegal surveillance of a woman at the behest of one "saheb" and they had released taped conversation between Shah and an IPS officer to back up their claim. On November 19, Pradeep Sharma had approached the SC urging it to take cognisance of audio tapes aired by news portals saying it contains proof of how the state government had tried to frame him in "frivolous" cases. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam had asked Sharma to file an affidavit after the Gujarat government counsel submitted that no oral arguments should be allowed to be made till something is placed on record. At the outset, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Sharma, submitted that an important development has taken place (referring to audio tapes) since the last hearing and the case needs to be heard urgently. The bench, also comprising justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Ranjajan Gogoi, then asked Sharma to file affidavit and posted the case for hearing in the first week of December. Sharma, a 1984 batch IAS officer, is facing five criminal cases including a case for alleged irregularity in land allotment to private firms in Kutch district in 2008. In his petition, he had made some references to the personal life of Modi but the court on on May 12, 2011 had directed him to remove those portions, which was accepted. Sharma, who last served as Bhavnagar Municipal Commissioner, was arrested on January 6, 2010 in a case involving alleged irregularities in Kutch earthquake rehabilitation. The IAS officer in his petition, however, alleged that he is being targeted by Modi government because his younger brother Kuldip Sharma, a senior IPS officer in the state, has "unmasked" many misdeeds of Modi since Godhra riots. Sharma sought that probe in these cases be handed over to CBI. "The petitioner happens to be the brother of Kuldip Sharma who has unmasked many misdeeds of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the ex-home minister, since the 2002 Godhra riots. "The two siblings have been very close to each other right from childhood and share very strong fraternal bonds. In order to cause prejudice to Kuldip Sharma, the petitioner has been victimized by chief minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah," the petition said. (With inputs from PTI) -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
