NaMo concealing marital status an offence, says court

NEW DELHI: Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi was believed to be a bachelor until he disclosed for the first time that he was married to Jashodaben in the affidavit he submitted while filing his nomination for the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat during the parliamentary polls this year. A court in Ahmedabad on Monday, 30 June held that he had committed an offence by not disclosing his marital status in an affidavit filed with his nomination during the 2012 Gujarat assembly polls but the judge ruled out an FIR against him on the grounds of time bar prescribed for such cases.

Hindustan Times reports that on a petition seeking an FIR against Modi filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Nishant Verma, who contended that Modi had hidden an important fact of his marital status in the affidavit filed before the election authorities in 2012, the additional chief judicial magistrate MM Sheikh held that An offence is committed under section 125(A) (3) of the Representation of Peoples (RP) Act by not disclosing facts. But he said, as per CrPC section 468(2) (B), the complaint for the offence has to be made within one year in cases related to the violation of section 125(A) (3) of the RP Act.

As the complaint was submitted after a year and four months of alleged offence, cognisance of complaint cannot be taken and an FIR cannot be lodged now, the court observed.

Before admitting that he was indeed married and declaring the name of his spouse in 2014, Modi used to leave the column relating to the spouse blank while contesting Assembly elections in Gujarat.

The petitioners counsel KR Koshti said his client may challenge the order in the Supreme Court.

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