Govt gets court notice over DIG’s bail plea

The government,meanwhile,moved a revision application before another bench in the same court,seeking Bhatt’s remand for seven days. The government has challenged the magisterial court’s order,which turned down its plea on Saturday and sent Bhatt to jail.

The revision application is expected to come up for hearing before the court of Principal District Judge G M Patel on Tuesday.

Bhatt’s bail plea will be heard by additional district judge V K Vyas.

Bhatt was arrested on September 30 in connection with a complaint lodged by police constable K D Pant. The constable has alleged that Bhatt had forcefully made him sign an affidavit in which the former has been shown to have corroborated Bhatt’s claim that he had attended a meeting called by Modi on February 27,2002.

Police have registered a case under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code charging Bhatt of wrongful confinement and fabricating evidence among others. On the second day of his arrest,the government added a fresh,more stringent section 194 of the IPC,which also deals with fabricating evidence but is non-bailable and could invite up to death penalty.

However,Bhatt has denied the allegations saying that “Pant appears to be acting as a ploy on the dictats of the political members in the government”. He also cited a petition moved before the Supreme Court whereby he has sought transfer of the case outside Gujarat and that his fears expressed in the SC petition came to be true with his arrest.

The IPS officer apprehended that Modi wanted his custody to get hold of evidence against the latter and destroy the same.

Bhatt has also referred to his recent affidavit before Gujarat High Court stating that in November 2003,he had sent an important evidence related to the Haren Pandya murder case to the then Minister of State (Home),Amit Shah. He has also claimed to have put that evidence on record through an official communication at the relevant time.

He further called his implication in the case as interference with the course of proceedings related to the riots in which he has given some important evidence in the form of statements against Modi before the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team.

Bhatt has also sought interim bail as immediate relief till pendency of the bail petition since the investigation was almost over.