New Delhi, July 29: The Supreme Court today sought Gujarat government’s response to a plea by IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, who had accused Narendra Modi of misusing state machinery against Muslims during 2002 post-Godhra riots, for CBI inquiry in a criminal case filed against him.
The plea pertained to an FIR lodged by a Gujarat State police constable in Ahmedabad alleging that Bhatt had pressurised him to sign an affidavit testifying that the officer participated in a high-level meeting after the Godhra carnage in which Bhatt had alleged he witnessed the Chief Minister’s anti-Muslim bias.
Expressing apprehension for not getting free and fair probe in the case by the state police, he pleaded that the case be transferred to the independent agency like CBI.
A bench of justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha asked the Gujarat government and the Centre to file their replies on Bhatt’s plea by August 8, the next date of hearing.
In an affidavit to the apex court, Bhatt had alleged that he had attended a crucial meeting convened by Chief Minister on February 27 2002 after Godhra incident, in which Modi had instructed senior government officials to allow Hindus to “vent out their anger” during the clashes and wanted Muslims to be “taught a lesson”.
The apex court, however, had declined to take Bhatt’s affidavit on record.
Gujarat State police constable K D Pant had later filed a complaint against Bhatt accusing him of threatening him and making him sign a false affidavit regarding the officer’s participation in the crucial meeting convened by Modi.
The registration of the case against Bhatt came as questions were raised by state government officials that Bhatt was still a superintendent-rank police officer and was not senior enough to attend the high level meeting attended by top government officials.
–Agencies