‘Snoopgate’ official files defamation case against journalist

Suspended Indian Administrative Service officer Pradeep Sharma has filed a criminal defamation case in a local court in Ahmedabad against editor and columnist Madhu Kishwar, alleging that she tried to tarnish his image in the snooping scandal in which Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi allegedly ordered intensive surveillance on a young woman.

Additional chief judicial magistrate H G Pandya is likely to hear the application on 5 December to decide if it comes under his jurisdiction, before admitting the matter.

The case is about Kishwar's comments on Twitter and television channels, which Sharma alleges were derogatory to him regarding the surveillance, allegedly ordered by Modi's trusted aide Amit Shah.

Through his advocate Mukul Sinha, Sharma has issued a defamation notice to Kishwar and had asked her to reply within 48 hours. However, when she did reply, he approached the court here.

Two investigative news portals, Cobrapost.com and Gulail.com, had claimed on 15 November that Amit Shah had ordered the illegal surveillance of a woman at the behest of "saheb".

They had released taped conversations between Shah and IPS officer G L Singhal to support their claim, but said that its authenticity could not be confirmed.

In her tweets on Twitter and during television debates, Kishwar had alleged that Sharma had harassed the woman, due to which her father had asked for protection from Modi.

"Allegations made by you and published on your Twitter account amounts to the grossest defamation," the defamation suit read, seeking to start criminal proceedings against Kishwar.