How Desperate Can They Get

DNA

Gujarat EDN

28JUN2011

'Bhatt's FB posts are his personal matter'

Says Nanavati panel while rejecting plea to quiz IPS officer over messages on his facebook

DNA Correspondent Ahmedabad

The justices (retired) GT Nanavati and Akshay Mehta commission, on Monday, refused to entertain the petition of the organisation named, Rashtriya Suraksha Sangh, seeking cross-examination of IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt over the 'postings' on his Facebook account.
Chetan Shah, lawyer and founder of the organisation, stated before the commission that the writings and statements on Bhatt's Facebook pages indicated that he was acting with mala fide intentions and at the behest of Congress leaders and social activist Teesta Setalvad. 
Shah said the commission should know about the Facebook 'posts' and allow him to cross-examine Bhatt to ascertain the IPS officer's intentions in making statements against the state government over the 2002 communal riots. 
Shah also submitted printouts of Bhatt's Facebook 'friends list' and 'wall post' messages and said that Congress leaders Shankarsinh Vaghela, Shaktisinh Gohil, Surendra Bakshi, and social activist Teesta Setalvad are on the 'friends list'. Some of printouts also contained what Shah alleged were 'aggressive' postings uploaded by Bhatt. 
Justice Nanavati, however, refused to entertain the petition saying that the Facebook postings were Bhatt's personal matter and they cannot be considered as evidence. He also expressed annoyance over Shah's petition. But Shah kept repeating that the commission should allow him to cross-examine Bhatt as the postings allegedly revealed his intentions against the state government. Finally, the commission told Shah that it will keep his plea in abeyance and use it if necessary. 
Meanwhile, the commission adjourned till Tuesday the petition of the Congress party seeking requisition of vital documents related to the 2002 communal riots. Further, in an informal discussion, justice Nanavati said he might prepare the final report by December this year, and that he might start issuing notices under section 8B of the Commission of Inquiry act to the people concerned. 
Under this section, the commission can issue notices seeking explanation from the people who are likely to be implicated in the final report.