New Delhi: Trashing BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s contention that the Centre’s action on snoopgate probe were illegitimate, Union law minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday said he “should go back to law” before making such statements and insisted that a judge to head the inquiry will be named before May 16.
Defending the Centre’s move, Mr Sibal asked why it was being questioned when Narendra Modi government had itself set up a probe panel into the issue showing that there was something to be probed. He also pointed out that the state’s probe panel, which was supposed to give its report within three months, has not held a single meeting till date.
“If Mr Jaitley takes a little time to understand, he will realise this is legally not possible,” Mr Sibal said when asked if the BJP leader’s remarks showed that in the event of BJP winning, the next government will wind up the probe panel. Both Mr Sibal and Mr Jaitley have been senior advocates of the Supreme Court.
The BJP leader had said that all the judges approached by the UPA government had refused to be a part of the “desperate” exercise and “political and malafide” move which would be an “illegitimate” action on the part of the government. Slamming UPA government Narendra Modi’s close aide Amit Shah said that the Congress’ “dirty tricks department” was behind the move to appont a judge to head the snoopgate probe.
“It is the Congress dirty tricks department which is behind the move to appoint the judge at the fag-end of the government’s tenure,” he said.
Mr Shah alleged that the Manmohan Singh dispensation has no “constitutional and moral authority” to appoint a judge to probe the snooping allegations “as the government is going”.
