The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to suspended Gujarat IAS officer Pradeep Sharma making fresh insinuations against Narendra Modi’s personal life. Earlier, the court had directed him to delete from his affidavit as allegation of a sensational plot by the Gujarat Government to tap his phone along with that of a lady architect. Sharma has filed the affidavit to support his claim that he was victimised for standing up against the Modi-led Gujarat Government.

In an  amended affidavit, he deleted several paragraphs but retained a brief reference to the controversy. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to the fresh affidavit pointing out that the order of the Court on May 12, 2011 was passed on an undertaking by Sharma to delete all “averments” relating to insinuations of personal impropriety against Modi. The ASG even produced a chart comparing portions from the new affidavit to illustrate his point.

The bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and NV Ramana said, “You have added much more into this than removing it. Your amendment should be in spirit of our order.” Sharma’s lawyer Sunil Fernandez informed the Court that the contentious portions had been removed. Responding to Mehta’s charge, he said that the averment in the new affidavit concerning Modi was necessary as it was crucial material to determine the petition filed by him.

“We do not understand the propriety of bringing these allegations…The allegations of personal nature must go,” the bench reiterated and gave time till Tuesday for Sharma to file a comparative chart showing compliance of Court order. “You are bound by your statement and undertaking given to this court,” the bench told Fernandez.

Sharma’s lawyer pointed out to the Court that on May 12, 2011 when the Court order was passed, the State suppressed information about a statement by the father of the lady asking the authorities in Gujarat to keep her daughter under surveillance.

The bench reminded him, “Today that is not the issue before us. We will take these facts into consideration while taking up the other case,” referring to the related application filed by Sharma where he has sought CBI investigation into a sting operation recording conversation of a Gujarat IPS officer being instructed by former Gujarat Minister Amit Shah to keep a close watch on the lady architect.