Gujarat EDN
IE 02OCT2012
Express
news service : Ahmedabad, Tue Oct 02 2012, 02:54 hrs
State’s principal secretary (home) S K Nanda clarified that the
revocation applied to only one case, which was about unauthorised absence from
duty while Bhatt was posted as principal of SRP training school in Junagadh
district Following a recommendation from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Gujarat government on Monday revoked the suspension of IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in one of the three cases against him.
The order signed by state government’s principal secretary (home) S K Nanda, dated September 28, 2012, states that the DIG’s suspension in the case has been revoked with effect from August 8, 2012.
Nanda clarified that the revocation applied to only one case, which was about unauthorised absence from duty while Bhatt was posted as principal of SRP training school in Junagadh district. He said the suspension continued in other two cases.
Bhatt was suspended on August 8, 2011, months after he filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in April 2011 accusing Chief Minister Narendra Modi of complicity in the post-Godhra riots. The officer had claimed he had attended a meeting chaired by Modi at his residence on the night of February 27, 2002, in which the CM had asked officials “let Hindus vent their anger”.
Bhatt’s suspension was last reviewed on July 23, 2012, and the state had recommended to continue the suspension till August 7, 2012. This was sent to the Central Review Committee for approval.
The state government had written to the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 16, 2012, recommending further extension of Bhatt’s suspension beyond the period of a year from the date he was suspended.
However, the home ministry, in a communication to the state government, wrote: “The Central Review Committee met on August 6, 2012, and reviewed the suspension of Sanjiv Bhatt and committee was of the opinion that the proposal of the state government for further extension of Bhatt’s suspension beyond one year may be rejected as it is not in accordance with the All Indian Service (Discipline and Appeals) Rules.”
Bhatt said, “I never challenged my suspension. There are authorities above the state government and they have decided what is right. For how long the state government could have twisted the truth?”
“I never really cared about all this, but wanted to only fight for truth,” he added.
The 1988-batch IPS officer is also facing another case for allegedly forcing a constable to file a forged affidavit before the Supreme Court amicus curiae Raju Ramchandran last year claiming Bhatt was present in the meeting where Modi allegedly asked officials to go slow on rioters. Bhatt was arrested on September 30, 2011, in this case and spent 18 days in Sabarmati Central Jail before being released on bail.
Another FIR was filed against him at Vastrapur police station by additional advocate general Tushar Mehta for allegedly hacking his personal email account in August last year.
