Snoopgate: 'Scurrilous' allegations against Modi be deleted, says SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said it will look into the plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Gujarat's snooping controversy only after verifying that suspended Indian Administrative Service officer Pradeep Sharma complied with its order to delete "scurrilous" allegations against Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Sharma, who has sought probe into the snoopgate, faced stiff opposition from the Gujarat government, which also slapped several other cases on him including one for attempting to flee the country on fake passport.

The apex court, which also refused Sharma's plea to allow him to travel to the United States to meet his wife and son, who are American citizens, said his application for CBI probe into snoopgate can only be considered after examining that he has complied with its May 12, 2011 order.

Sharma, the 1984 batch IAS officer, who had sought handing over of the probe of criminal cases against him to the CBI and shifting the trial outside Gujarat, was directed by the apex court to file an amended petition by deleting the paragraphs having "scurrilous" allegations against Modi.

Since the amended petition was not available during the hearing, a bench comprising justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and M B Lokur said "there was a need to compare the original petition and the amended one".

"Let us see whether you have first complied with our order or not. We want to go through the amended petition," the bench said, adding there was a need to compare the petitions as Gujarat government and Modi's close aide and senior BJP leader Amit Shah alleged that Sharma has retained the scurrilous allegations in the application for CBI probe.

"If that is so we will compare the paragraphs. We have to see that the order has to be followed. If the order has been complied with we will go into it, otherwise we will not entertain it," the bench said while posting the plea on snoopgate after two weeks.