As he takes on CM,custodial torture case still haunts him

Bhatt,now a Deputy Inspector General posted at the SRP training school in Junagadh district,was the Porbandar SP then.

A magisterial court in Porbandar had ordered criminal proceedings against Bhatt in December 1998 in the wake of a complaint lodged by Naran Jadav.

Jadav was arrested along with some others for an alleged terror conspiracy and the Porbandar police had claimed to have recovered some weapons and ammunition from them. The offence was registered at Kamalbaug Police Station of Porbandar. Jadav was one of those charged on several counts,including sedition.

When he was produced before a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) after his arrest,Jadav had given a written complaint to the magistrate alleging Bhatt and others had tortured him,with electric shocks,while in custody.

The court ordered an inquiry and later,in December,1998,ordered criminal proceedings against Bhatt and others. In March 2003,Bhatt had moved an application to get himself discharged,but his application was rejected by the court.

In December 2010,Bhatt moved the High Court to get the criminal process against him quashed,contending that the even after nearly 11 years,the prosecution had not produced evidence against him and the mandatory sanction to initiate prosecution against him was also not taken.

Bhatt maintained that Jadav was a habitual offender and his complaint was a fallout of his vengeance.

Bhatt’s petition is scheduled for hearing on May 13.