Sule trial: petitioner alleges officials being influenced

A day after trial commenced in the Bombay high court to determine if Supriya Sule owed allegiance to a foreign country, an application was moved on Friday alleging that the Baramati MP and her father NCP chief Sharad Pawar were using their influence to prevent officials from giving information.

A day after trial commenced in the Bombay high court to determine if Supriya Sule owed allegiance to a foreign country, an application was moved on Friday alleging that the Baramati MP and her father NCP chief Sharad Pawar were using their influence to prevent officials from giving information.

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Justice J H Bhatia had yesterday started trial by recording the evidence of Mrunalini Kakade, who had filed the election petition challenging Sule's election in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls on the ground that Sule owed "adherence and allegiance" to Singapore where she purchased property and had investments along with her husband.

Kakade today submitted an application before the court claiming that Sule and her father Union minister Sharad Pawar were using their influence to ensure that she is denied information regarding the Baramati MP's Singapore citizenship.

"A request was made with the Singapore High Commission (New Delhi) and Singapore Consulate General in Mumbai seeking information in respect of Sule and her permanent resident ID number in August last year. However, in October, one Mahendran Muthusamy, councillor officer in the consulate general office said they are unable to accede to our request," Kakade said in her application.

The application says Sule and her father were "highly influential" people with contacts in several government agencies. "We have every reason to believe that at the instance of Sule's father Sharad Pawar, our request for information was not acceded," the application alleged.

Kakade has requested the court to issue summons to Muthusamy for recording his evidence and also produce all documents pertaining to Sule and her husband.

In her petition, Kakade, who was defeated by Sule in 2009, has sought the latter's election to be declared null and void on the ground that she was a non-Indian as she had acquired citizenship of Singapore by buying property there.

The court will decide on the application next week.