01-10-2006, 04:36 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Amar Singh moves SC, impleads Sonia, 7 others </b>
Pioneer News Service/ New Delhi
After days of relentless attack against the Congress leadership for allegedly masterminding the tapping of his phones, Samajwadi Party general secretary <b>Amar Singh on Monday impleaded Congress president Sonia Gandhi as one of the eight respondents while seeking Supreme Court's directive for a judicial probe into the scandal</b>.
Adding fuel to the fire, the BJP has also charged that it's <b>senior party leader LK Advani's </b>telephone too has been bugged and demanded an all-party meet to discuss the issue. "We have very authentic and credible information that the residential telephones of Mr Advani were being tapped," said BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar.
Former <b>Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda </b>on Monday also said he had information that his phone was being tapped. In reply to a query, Mr Gowda said, "I had never complained about my phone-tapping ...what I have to hide... but someone told me that my phone was being tapped, that too, when I was not in power at all."
He said the phone-tapping episode reflected the "deterioration" of Indian politics, which was going downhill day by day.
After moving the Apex Court, Amar Singh told reporters that his counsel had also sought the court's direction to the Union Government to ensure strict observation of the Indian Telegraph Act provisions and compliance of the court's own directions on the issue, besides launching a prosecution of those involved in the 'bugging' of his phone.
Besides impleading <b>Ms Gandhi, the Union Ministries of Home and Telecommunication in his petition</b>, <b>Mr Singh also made his friend and industrial tycoon Anil Ambani's Reliance Infocomm a respondent in his petition</b>. The others whom the <b>SP leader made respondents included Delhi Government's chief secretary and principal secretary (Home), and other top police and civil authorities</b>.
After opening a legal front with the Centre, Mr Singh went a step further and insinuated that<b> Union Law Minister HR Bhardwaj might be having a role in conducting the dirty work of phone tapping at the behest of 10 Janpath.</b>
<b>"It's no coincidence that advocate DS Sharma, who happens to be an old partner of the Union Law Minister and who has his chamber adjacent to that of Mr Bhardwaj in Tis Hazari Court premises, is representing arrested private detective Bhupendra in the trial court,"</b> said Mr Singh.
He also accused that <b>Dr Anurag</b>, who has been arrested by Delhi Police for his alleged role in phone tapping was <b>the son of a retired Customs officer Virendra Singh and close to the powers-that-be.</b>
Mr Singh alleged that the Congress has now formed a committee of a senior Cabinet Minister and two senior journalists to plant excerpts of his taped telephone conversation.
The BJP while charging that their leader's phone was being tapped, said that the information had reached the party four days back.
"It's not only a serious matter but outrageous. The Government owes an obligation to clarify its position," said Mr Javadekar adding that party president Rajnath Singh, who had taken the matter seriously, had also demanded a thorough inquiry into the allegations.
BJP's allegation of interception of the phone of its party stalwart has followed similar allegations by <b>Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu</b>.
According to the BJP spokesman, Mr Advani's phone was being tapped in the wake of the Volcker Report which had listed the Congress and former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh as non-contractual beneficiaries in the Iraq Oil-for-Food scam.
Mr Advani who returned to Delhi only on Monday afternoon after a vacation in Rajasthan, however, said at the airport that he was surprised to know that his phone too was being tapped.
Party sources said the information about the tapping of Mr Advani's phone had reached former party president M Venkaiah Naidu who cross-checked and found that it was correct. The informers are believed to be present and former officials of agencies which indulge in such activities.
The BJP wanted the norms for tapping be made so transparent and stringent that it could not be used for political purposes, said Mr Javadekar.
He said phone tapping was confined to criminal charges only but this Government was using it for political reasons.
The SP leader, meanwhile, contended that his telephone interception was not his personal matter as claimed by AICC general secretary Ambika Soni. "A mere constable standing outside 10 Janpath turns out to be a national matter, leading to instantaneous fall of Chandrashekhar Government but when the same Congress orders the telephone tapping of a leader of a party with 40 Lok Sabha MPs, it is dismissed as a personal matter. At this rate, even my murder tomorrow could be dismissed as a personal matter," said Mr Singh.
Mr Singh also lamented that his accusatory fingers against a PMO official, close to 10 Janpath has hurt Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and apologised for causing "unintentional hurt to him."
"Prime Minister's Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru has issued a statement saying that my allegations against a PMO official is mischievous. There was no mischief meant in my allegations...but I have mentioned only those who have been close to 10 Janpath," said Mr Singh.
He said that he had been telling the <b>Prime Minister for a long time that his phones were being tapped.</b> "Even then my phone is (still being) tapped...If Prime Minister's Office is hurt over what I have said, I offer my apology."
Mr Singh alleged that even Supreme Court judges' telephones were being tapped.
Making a fresh charge, the Samajwadi Party leader said that he came to know through reliable sources that even former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's phones were being tapped. "I will be meeting Natwar," he said.
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Pioneer News Service/ New Delhi
After days of relentless attack against the Congress leadership for allegedly masterminding the tapping of his phones, Samajwadi Party general secretary <b>Amar Singh on Monday impleaded Congress president Sonia Gandhi as one of the eight respondents while seeking Supreme Court's directive for a judicial probe into the scandal</b>.
Adding fuel to the fire, the BJP has also charged that it's <b>senior party leader LK Advani's </b>telephone too has been bugged and demanded an all-party meet to discuss the issue. "We have very authentic and credible information that the residential telephones of Mr Advani were being tapped," said BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar.
Former <b>Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda </b>on Monday also said he had information that his phone was being tapped. In reply to a query, Mr Gowda said, "I had never complained about my phone-tapping ...what I have to hide... but someone told me that my phone was being tapped, that too, when I was not in power at all."
He said the phone-tapping episode reflected the "deterioration" of Indian politics, which was going downhill day by day.
After moving the Apex Court, Amar Singh told reporters that his counsel had also sought the court's direction to the Union Government to ensure strict observation of the Indian Telegraph Act provisions and compliance of the court's own directions on the issue, besides launching a prosecution of those involved in the 'bugging' of his phone.
Besides impleading <b>Ms Gandhi, the Union Ministries of Home and Telecommunication in his petition</b>, <b>Mr Singh also made his friend and industrial tycoon Anil Ambani's Reliance Infocomm a respondent in his petition</b>. The others whom the <b>SP leader made respondents included Delhi Government's chief secretary and principal secretary (Home), and other top police and civil authorities</b>.
After opening a legal front with the Centre, Mr Singh went a step further and insinuated that<b> Union Law Minister HR Bhardwaj might be having a role in conducting the dirty work of phone tapping at the behest of 10 Janpath.</b>
<b>"It's no coincidence that advocate DS Sharma, who happens to be an old partner of the Union Law Minister and who has his chamber adjacent to that of Mr Bhardwaj in Tis Hazari Court premises, is representing arrested private detective Bhupendra in the trial court,"</b> said Mr Singh.
He also accused that <b>Dr Anurag</b>, who has been arrested by Delhi Police for his alleged role in phone tapping was <b>the son of a retired Customs officer Virendra Singh and close to the powers-that-be.</b>
Mr Singh alleged that the Congress has now formed a committee of a senior Cabinet Minister and two senior journalists to plant excerpts of his taped telephone conversation.
The BJP while charging that their leader's phone was being tapped, said that the information had reached the party four days back.
"It's not only a serious matter but outrageous. The Government owes an obligation to clarify its position," said Mr Javadekar adding that party president Rajnath Singh, who had taken the matter seriously, had also demanded a thorough inquiry into the allegations.
BJP's allegation of interception of the phone of its party stalwart has followed similar allegations by <b>Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu</b>.
According to the BJP spokesman, Mr Advani's phone was being tapped in the wake of the Volcker Report which had listed the Congress and former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh as non-contractual beneficiaries in the Iraq Oil-for-Food scam.
Mr Advani who returned to Delhi only on Monday afternoon after a vacation in Rajasthan, however, said at the airport that he was surprised to know that his phone too was being tapped.
Party sources said the information about the tapping of Mr Advani's phone had reached former party president M Venkaiah Naidu who cross-checked and found that it was correct. The informers are believed to be present and former officials of agencies which indulge in such activities.
The BJP wanted the norms for tapping be made so transparent and stringent that it could not be used for political purposes, said Mr Javadekar.
He said phone tapping was confined to criminal charges only but this Government was using it for political reasons.
The SP leader, meanwhile, contended that his telephone interception was not his personal matter as claimed by AICC general secretary Ambika Soni. "A mere constable standing outside 10 Janpath turns out to be a national matter, leading to instantaneous fall of Chandrashekhar Government but when the same Congress orders the telephone tapping of a leader of a party with 40 Lok Sabha MPs, it is dismissed as a personal matter. At this rate, even my murder tomorrow could be dismissed as a personal matter," said Mr Singh.
Mr Singh also lamented that his accusatory fingers against a PMO official, close to 10 Janpath has hurt Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and apologised for causing "unintentional hurt to him."
"Prime Minister's Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru has issued a statement saying that my allegations against a PMO official is mischievous. There was no mischief meant in my allegations...but I have mentioned only those who have been close to 10 Janpath," said Mr Singh.
He said that he had been telling the <b>Prime Minister for a long time that his phones were being tapped.</b> "Even then my phone is (still being) tapped...If Prime Minister's Office is hurt over what I have said, I offer my apology."
Mr Singh alleged that even Supreme Court judges' telephones were being tapped.
Making a fresh charge, the Samajwadi Party leader said that he came to know through reliable sources that even former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh's phones were being tapped. "I will be meeting Natwar," he said.
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