Ex-IPS officer wants SIT probe into FIRs against him.

In a hearing that continued the whole day, former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt told the Supreme Court that he was victimised over the years for his depositions before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the 2002 Gujarat riots.

“His is a clear case of victimisation. His depositions have the potential to upset those in power. He was and is even now being victimised for being bold enough to have said that he was present at the February 27, 2002 meeting held at the residence of then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, where he heard him utter a few words,” senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing Mr. Bhatt, submitted before a bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu on Thursday.

Two applications

The hearing was based on two applications filed by Mr. Bhatt to have a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into two FIRs filed against him by the Gujarat Police. Mr. Bhatt claims that both FIRs were attempts to intimidate him. He was removed from service last month.

The first FIR was on a complaint by K.D. Pant, a police constable who worked under him during the 2002 riots, at Ghatlodia police station in Gujarat. Mr. Pant had accused his former superior of making him sign a “false” affidavit about the February 27, 2002 meeting in the aftermath of growing communal tensions in the State after the Godhra train attack in which 59 persons were killed. A charge-sheet was filed in this case, but the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings.

The second FIR deals with a complaint filed by then Additional Advocate General of the Gujarat government Tushar Mehta — who is now an Additional Solicitor General in the Supreme Court — in the Vastrapur police station in Ahmedabad that Mr. Bhatt hacked into his e-mail account and leaked sensitive documents. This case too was stayed by the apex court.

The applications have been filed even as two separate petitions by Mr. Bhatt seeking CBI probe into the FIRs are already pending in the Supreme Court.

No confidence in CBI probe

“The request now to have a Special Investigation Team probe the two FIRs under the monitoring of the Supreme Court cannot be more explicit. The then Chief Minister of the Gujarat is now Prime Minister, and there is a perceived lack of confidence in any investigation done by the CBI,” Ms. Jaising submitted.

Ms. Jaising submitted that Mr. Bhatt has stuck to his version of what happened in the 2002 meeting in all his depositions, including before the Gujarat riots SIT, the Supreme Court’s amicus curiae and the Justice Nanavati Inquiry Commission formed by the Gujarat government into the Sabarmati train burning incident.

Amicus curiae report cited

“The amicus curiae report said he [Mr. Bhatt] cannot be disbelieved,” Ms. Jaising said.

She also urged the court to look into a series of e-mails Mr. Bhatt claimed to have “uncovered” from Mr. Mehta’s mail account allegedly revealing “collusion” between the prosecution and defence in several cases, including the 2002 Gujarat riots to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter involving high public functionaries such as then State Home Minister Amit Shah. The court posted the case for further hearing on September 22.