Wife says Sanjiv Bhatt not allowed to move court, SC terms allegations serious

A bench, led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said the allegation made by Bhatt’s wife, Shweta Bhatt, was very serious. “If a citizen is saying that her husband is not being allowed to come to this court then it is grave and serious,” said justice Gogoi.

Wife of dismissed Gujarat IPS officer, Sanjiv Bhatt, has approached the Supreme Court, alleging that her husband was being prevented from moving the top court for relief.

Gujarat Cadre IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was suspended in 2011 on charges of remaining absent from duty without permission and misuse of official vehicles and later sacked in August, 2015. (File Photo)

Bhatt, suspended from service in 2015, has been arrested in a 22-year-old drugs case for allegedly planting the contraband on a lawyer. The arrests followed a Gujarat High Court order handing over the probe in the case to the state CID police.

A bench, led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said the allegation made by Bhatt’s wife, Shweta Bhatt, was very serious. “If a citizen is saying that her husband is not being allowed to come to this court then it is grave and serious,” said Justice Gogoi.

Shweta Bhatt has moved three petitions before the top court with a plea to quash the FIR against her husband, set him free from police custody and also set aside the HC order that ordered a CID probe into the drugs case.

In criminal case, only the accused can approach the court for relief. However, in this matter, Shweta said she was compelled to come because her husband is in custody and is unable to execute the requisite documents.

“That petitioner’s husband has been taken into custody in the most arbitrary manner and he has also been taken on Police Custody Remand. The petitioner’s husband is not allowed to execute Vakalatnama and any other documents required mandatorily to file the present Special Leave Petition,” read her petition filed by Shweta Bhatt.