A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking an apex court-monitored Special Investigation Team probe into non-disclosure of assets by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his election affidavits.
The petition filed by former journalist Saket Gokhale alleged that Mr. Modi did not disclose a property located at Gandhi Nagar in Gujarat in his list of assets given in his election affidavits filed in 2012 and in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The land at Plot no: 411, Sector-1, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, was allotted by the Gujarat government in terms of a government resolution. The land, the petition said, was purchased by Mr. Modi for a “paltry sum” of ₹1,30,488 as reflected in his affidavit submitted for the Gujarat Assembly election of 2007.
“However, respondent 3 (Modi) in his affidavit filed in 2012 and 2014 for the 16th Lok Sabha election did not disclose plot no 411, Sector-I, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat, in his list of assets. Instead, respondent 3 declared one-fourth ownership in plot no 401/A, sector-I, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat,” Mr. Gokhale, who is appearing as petitioner-in-person, said.
“This is despite the land records clearly mentioning that the plot no 411 still stands in the name of respondent 3 and there exists no entry in the land records qua plot no 401/A,” he added.
The petitioner said Mr. Modi, who is arraigned as a party personally, did not “mention” plot no. 411 in his affidavits of 2016 and 2017. Instead, he claimed the same one-fourth ownership in plot no.401/A.
“Respondent no 3, who holds a high executive office has a duty to set the highest standards of fairness, probity and transparency in life. By hiding details of his assets and by misrepresentation, respondent number 3 is not only guilty of filing false affidavit but has also created a prima face doubt about the veracity of information about him, especially information about his assets,” the petition submitted.
It claimed that Mr. Modi has “violated the sacrosanct right of the voters/citizens of making an informed choice of the candidate to represent the constituency in the legislature on the basis of true and current information”.
The petition has also made the State of Gujarat and the Election Commission respondents.