Ahmedabad, October 04: A local court here, Tuesday, will hear the bail plea of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who was arrested last week on the basis of an FIR lodged against him on charges of threatening and fabricating evidence.
Sessions Court Judge VK Vyas, yesterday, while posting the matter for hearing for today, had issued notice to the Gujarat government and state director general of police.
Bhatt was arrested on the basis of the FIR filed against him by police constable KD Pant for allegedly threatening him and forcing to sign a false affidavit with regard to a meeting called by Chief Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002, hours after the Godhra train carnage.
Bhatt’s family and activists have termed his arrest as a case of vendetta and that he is being targeted for speaking against Modi.
The IPS officer’s wife has written a letter to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram stating that Bhatt apprehends danger to his life from a “vindictive administration”.
“Sanjiv has strong apprehension of being physically ill-treated and danger to his life. We are in potential danger from a vindictive administration,” Bhatt’s wife Shweta said.
However, KD Pant says that he is under no pressure and the complaint he has filed against Bhatt is what happened.
Bhatt has been booked under IPC Sections 341 (causing wrongful restraint), 342 (causing wrongful confinement), 195 (giving fabricated evidence) and 189 (threat of injury to public servant).
Earlier, police plea for Bhatt’s remand was rejected by the court and he was sent to judicial custody. He is presently lodged in Sabarmati jail. But if the court rejects his bail plea then he may be sent to police remand.
Bhatt was locked in a public confrontation with Modi after he filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing the Chief Minister of complicity in the 2002 riots.
Bhatt was also served a chargesheet by Gujarat Home Department in connection with his alleged unauthorised absence from duty.
–Agencies