A Gujarat Police Special Investigative Team has secured a seven-day pre-trial detention against jailed former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt for investigation in a case related to the 2002 Gujarat riots in which former DGP RB Sreekumar and activist Teesta Setalvad are co-accused.
The case against the three was filed by Gujarat’s Criminal Branch following a June 24 Supreme Court order that said they wanted to “boil the pot for further purpose” under the Gujarat riots cases.
The case against them was filed on June 25 under Sections 194 (false testimony or fabricating false testimony), 211 (false accusation of an offense committed with intent to harm), 218 (official making an inaccurate record) , 468 (forgery in order to deceive), 471 (using as authentic a false document or electronic record) read with 120B (criminal association) of the CPI.
Bhatt has been held in Palanpur prison in Banaskantha district since 2018 for planting narcotics to entrap a Rajasthan-based lawyer. He was also sentenced to life in a death in custody case.
Earlier, the Metropolitan Court remanded Setalvad and Sreekumar for questioning in custody for six days until July 2. They were sent to Sabarmati prison.
In its June 24 judgment, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, whose husband Ehsan Jafri was killed in the riots, alleging a larger conspiracy and challenging the clean rating given by the SIT to CM Narendra Modi and to others.
The Supreme Court expressed the need to prosecute these “disgruntled officers” and others whose “joint effort was to create a sensation by making false disclosures”.
These officials are to be accused of “boiling the pot” with ulterior motives, the court heard.
The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint filed by DB Barad, a police inspector serving in the City of Ahmedabad’s Crime Branch since 2019. The plaintiff cited the Supreme Court’s submissions in the judgment delivered June 24.
In the complaint, Barad cited the Supreme Court judgment, dated June 24, which said: “Ultimately, it appears to us that a concerted effort by the disgruntled officers of Gujarat State along with others was to create a sensation by making revelations that were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of the claims has been fully exposed by the SIT after a thorough investigation…all those implicated in such abuse of process must be in the dock and prosecuted according to law.
