Govt scraps move to appoint probe panel judge in Snoopgate

We have left decision of appointing judge on next government, say govt sources

Under pressure from its allies, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has had to go on the backfoot over its much-vaunted claims of appointing a judge to probe the Gujarat “snoopgate” case before May 16.

“We have left the decision on appointing a judge to the next government,” government sources told the Press Trust of India on Monday. Confirming this, a Congress leader conceded the party had not pursued the matter as efficiently as it should have.

The case, relating to alleged snooping on a young woman by the Gujarat police, has been at the centre of a controversy between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for months but not much headway had been made in instituting the probe.

Recently, Law Minister Kapil Sibal and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had stoked the snoopgate fire again by insisting the incumbent government could take decisions to implement a Cabinet decision, as long as it was in office.

However, two allies of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the National Conference, had publicly opposed the move over the weekend.

NCP leader Praful Patel had questioned, “When the results of the Lok Sabha elections are due in two weeks’ time, where is the need for such an enquiry?”

Party chief Sharad Pawar had also reportedly spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey the NCP’s view in the matter.