Remove offending references to Modi, SC tells IAS officer

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked Gujarat cadre IAS officer Pradeep Sharma, now under suspension, to remove offending references to then chief minister Narendra Modi before it takes up his plea for transfer of investigation in four cases from the state police to the CBI.

The bench of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice N.V. Ramana told Sharma that the court will proceed with his petition only after he complies with the order of the court to delete the offending portions.

"This petition will proceed only after you comply with our order," said Justice Desai as Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that Sharma has not complied with the court's direction.

The court told counsel Sunil Fernandes, appearing for Sharma, to remove the offending portions and give a chart showing what were the objectionable portions in the 2011 petition and what was their amended form now.

As Fernandes said the objectionable portions have been changed, the court said: "What you have added (by way of amendment) is much more than what you had said in the original petition."

Fernandes told the court that he had sought the transfer of his case from Gujarat Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as he was being targeted because his brother as additional director general of police (ADGP) had not carried out "illegal orders" of then home minister Amit Shah.

Counsel told the court that another reason for Sharma being targeted was the CD row involving a woman who was snooped upon.

The court told Fernandes that there was no occasion for him to say all this as it was limited to the point of amending the petition to remove offending portions.

Asking him to comply with the its orders, the court said it would further hear the matter Aug 12.