Snoopgate: Gujarat ready with summons to woman; central inquiry still undecided

NEW DELHI: A commission set up by the Gujarat government is set to summon the woman involved in the snooping case and her father to record their statements. The central government that ordered a separate probe into the same issue, however, is still undecided on who would head its judicial commission.

“The law ministry and the home ministry are unable to decide on a name as consent from a few short-listed retired judges is awaited,” a central home ministry official said. “A name could be announced this week.” The official admitted that there was perhaps more “eagerness” on part of the government to announce the inquiry than identifying a person to head it.


According to Cabinet decision on December 26, the commission needs to submit its report within three months. Sources said the government has not so far approached former Chief Justices of India Altamas Kabir and VN Khare to take the assignment, denying speculations in media that they were on the short list. At the state level, things are progressing much faster. The state commission is well on course to give its report by the end of February, a Gujarat official with knowledge of the matter said.

“Summons are set to go to the woman on whom both physical and electronic surveillance was allegedly mounted, and her father who has said that the same was done as per his request to the Gujarat political leadership,” the Gujarat official said. A police officer at the centre of the episode would also be summoned, the official said, adding that the commission would soon record their statements.

The state commission has already issued summons to the news portal, Gulail.com, which had made the snooping tapes public. One of the terms of reference of the Gujarat commission is to inquire how the said tapes had made it to the public domain. “We should finalise our stand by end of next week,” the portal’s chief, Ashish Khetan, said on Sunday, when asked if it would be responding to the summons.

Meanwhile, Gujarat is expected legally challenge the Centre’s decision by terming the setting up of the central commission as an interference in the law and order domain. A Gujarat official told ET, “We believe no phone tapping took place … There is no proof in either records of the government or those of any telecom company to prove that phones were indeed tapped."