Why PM Modi Is Party To This Case? SC Registry Asks Journalist Who Filed PIL Against PM Modi

The Journalist, who approached the Supreme Court against alleged suppression in election affidavits by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding assets owned by him, is facing a curious objection from the Registry.

In his Facebook post, Saket Gokhale said that he has been asked by the Registry to clarify why PM Modi is a party to the petition? He said:"After filing my PIL, the SC registry gave me a list of defects that I need to clear (mostly paperwork stuff like Pg number X is not dark enough etc.). And now here's the shocker - the Supreme Court registry has suddenly submitted a 2nd set of objections in which I've been asked to clarify why the "Honorable Prime Minister" has been made a party/respondent to my case.It is the Prime Minister who allegedly lied on his affidavit. It is the Prime Minister who allegedly hid a plot of land. It is the Prime Minister whose personal land holdings are unclear and untraceable in public records. But the Supreme Court registry still wants me to clarify why he's a party to the case "

He further adds: "The power of determining culpability or innocence lies with the Honorable Judges. Here it is the registry (whose responsibility is to file and list matters for hearing) questioning me on why PM Modi has been made a party in a PIL related to his own dodgy land holdings."

In his Public Interest Litigation filed a month ago, he has alleged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the beneficiary of a questionable land allotment policy followed by Gujarat Government since 1998, whereby public lands were allotted to legislators at throwaway prices. Contending that the alleged false affidavits by PM Modi violated the citizen's right to have information about the candidate under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, the PIL seeks a probe by a Special Investigation Team headed by a retired Chief Justice of India to investigate the alleged irregularities associated with Plot No.411 and also the assets and source of income of PM Modi.  

Read SC Registry's Objection