On July 12, the Crime Branch of Gujarat Police arrested former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt who was lodged in Palanpur jail. The arrest came days after the Police arrested former senior officer RB Sreekumar and activist Teesta Setalvad in the Gujarat riots case. Both of them were arrested for allegedly fabricating evidence and sent to 14-day judicial custody by the court.
In the Gujarat riots case, the Crime Branch has arrested one more person for embezzling funds and forging documents. Former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt has been arrested on a transfer warrant. Crime Branch has taken over Sanjiv Bhatt from Banaskantha jail.
— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2022
Bhatt was lodged in jail in connection with the custodial death in 1990. A Jamnagar Sessions Court had sentenced him to life imprisonment. The Crime Branch arrested him from the jail and shifted him to Ahmedabad on Tuesday. It is noteworthy that in a recent judgment in Zakia Jafri Case, the Supreme Court lashed out at Teesta Setalvad, Sreekumar, and Bhatt for falsifying evidence. The court categorically said that Setalvad tutored the witnesses during trials and ‘kept the pot boiling in the matter.
The apex court had noted that the SIT investigation in the case showed that the statements given by Bhatt and Sreekumar alleging the role of then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi in letting the riots continue were false. The court also noted that the allegations made by the two against the senior officials over inaction were also fabricated.
After the verdict by the apex court, the Gujarat Police Crime Branch registered a case against the three under Sections 468, 471, 194, 211, 218, and 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code.
Gujarat Police had sought custody of Bhatt
On June 27, Gujarat Police had sought custody of Sanjeev Bhatt, two days after filing a case against him. Reports suggest that in its application, the Police said they wanted to confront Sanjiv Bhatt, Ex-DGP RB Sreekumar, and so-called activist Teesta Setalvad with each other and also question the trio about the documentary evidence from the 2002 Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigation.
SC gave a clean chit to PM Modi, Amit Shah, and others in the 2002 Gujarat riots case
On June 24, the Supreme Court rejected the claims of a larger conspiracy into the Gujarat riots by PM Narendra Modi and other top Gujarat officials. These allegations were levelled by Zakia Jafri, the wife of deceased former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri. At that time, Modi was Gujarat’s chief minister.
While delivering its verdict, the apex court said that the “appeal is devoid of merits.” A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar refused to order a probe into allegations of a “larger conspiracy” behind the Gujarat riots.
The Supreme Court said in its judgment that Teesta Setalvad, a co-petitioner in the case, exploited the emotions of Zakia Jafri. The court denied Zakia Jafri’s request to reconsider the Special Investigation Team’s decision to exonerate Modi in the riots case.
