No judge found yet to head probe into snoopgate in Gujarat

NEW DELHI: Nearly a month after it announced a probe into the snooping scandal allegedly involving Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, government so far has failed to name the retired judge who will head the Judicial Commission to go into the charges.

Official sources said a few judges have been approached by the government to take up the assignment, but all of them are said to have turned down the offer describing the case as "highly political".

As the Lok Sabha election is approaching and Modi is BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, the sources said, government so far has not find any judge who is willing to head the Judicial Commission of inquiry to go into the charges.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has denied that no judge is willing to head the inquiry but admitted "some problems" in announcing the name of the retired judge.

On January 10, Shinde had announced that a judge to head the Judicial Commission would be announced "within a day or two".

But even after nine days of Home Minister's statement, no announcement regarding the name of the judge came.

On December 26, 2013, government had announced appointment of a Commission of Inquiry into the "snooping" on a woman in Gujarat allegedly at the behest of Modi.

The decision was taken by the Union Cabinet under Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act which empowers the Centre to set up such a commission.