Lawyer questions intentions behind commission on snooping case

Image
Press Trust of India Ahmedabad
Last Updated : Feb 01 2014 | 1:20 AM IST
Advocate Ratna Vora, who has sought to join as a party to the petition challenging legality of the inquiry commission set up by Gujarat government on the 'snooping' scandal, has pointed out that the panel was set up by same people who are under the cloud of suspicion.
She has also attached, to her affidavit filed in Gujarat High Court, government's reply to her Right to Information query and sought to know under whose instruction the notification on the Commission was issued.
According to RTI reply that the notification was issued by the General Administration Department.
In her affidavit, Vora has stated that the Commission was set up by Chief Minister Narendra Modi's government, but Modi himself was facing the allegations.
She has also questioned the public interest in setting up the Commission.
The division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala scheduled the next hearing after 15 days as Girish Das, the original petitioner, sought more time to file his affidavit.
The Modi Government set up the Commission under retired High Court Judge Sugnya Bhatt to probe what has come to be known as "snoopgate".
Das has also sought a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal phone-tapping of 93,000 persons by the State Government in the last six months.
Investigative news portals Cobrapost.Com and Gulail.Com had claimed in November last year that Amit Shah, then Minister of State for Home, ordered illegal surveillance of a young woman at the behest of "Saheb". They released taped conversations between Shah and suspended IPS officer G L Singhal to support the claim.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Feb 01 2014 | 1:20 AM IST

Next Story