New Delhi, Sep 30: The Supreme Court today virtually stayed the trial against senior Gujarat cadre IAS officer Pradeep Sharma who has sought a CBI probe into the fresh criminal cases registered against him by state police allegedly at the instance of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai though did not pass any order to stay the trial recorded an undertaking from State Counsel Hemantika Wahi that “there will be no further proceedings, until further orders.”
Sharma had sought a stay of the trial against him in a Bhuj court on the ground that his petition challenging the same was pending in the apex court.
After the Gujarat High Court turned down his plea, he approached the Supreme Court today.
Wahi urged the apex court not to stay the proceedings on the ground that the charge sheet had already been filed and the court was to commence with the framing of the charges.
However, the bench was not convinced with the argument and proceeded to pass an order, upon which the counsel gave an undertaking that there would be no proceedings in the trial court until October 17 when the apex court is expected to take up Sharma's petition seeking a CBI inquiry.
The bench then passed a terse order saying there would be no proceedings until further orders.
The apex court had earlier issued notices to Modi on Sharma's two petitions accusing the chief minister of foisting false criminal cases against him.
The 1984 batch IAS officer had alleged Gujarat Police had registered the fifth FIR against him on May 12, the day the apex court had sought a response from Modi on the allegations that several criminal cases have been foisted against the officer at his behest. PTI
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