Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Thursday told the Nanavati Commission that he was willing to depose with regard to the alleged role of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in undermining a petition filed by social activist Mallika Sarabhai after the 2002 riots.
Bhatt said this when he was called by the two-member judicial panel, probing the post-Godhra riots, during hearing on an application of Sarabhai demanding Bhatt's cross — examination with regard to alleged role of Modi in sabotaging court proceedings.
During his questioning on May 23 by Central relief committee advocate B.M. Mangukia before the commission, Bhatt alleged Modi had tried to undermine the proceeding in the petition filed in the Supreme Court.
"I have given my intent and shown willingness to depose with regard to Sarabhai's 2002 petition. If Commission wants to know the truth they can call me anytime," Bhatt said after the hearing was over.
The Commission reserved order on Sarabhai's application for cross-examination of Bhatt with regard to role of Modi and his colleagues in allegedly bribing her lawyer to stall proceedings on her petition.
Sarabhai had contended that since the IPS officer was no longer constrained by Zakia Jaffery's petition in the SC as it has been disposed, the panel should call Bhatt for giving details of the role of Modi and others with regard to her petition, in which she had alleged inaction by government in curbing the communal violence after the Godhra train carnage.
The panel had in July rejected a similar application by Sarabhai, contending it was not required at that point of time.
In her new application, Sarabhai reiterated her demand, to which the panel said it was outside the scope of its Term of Reference (TOR), an argument with which she disagreed.
Bhatt had written to the Commission after Sarabhai filed her application in October, expressing his willingness to depose regarding the exact role of Modi, former Minister Amit Shah as well as the advocates attached with certain law offices in Ahmedabad and Delhi, in undermining Sarabhai's petition in the apex court.
Bhatt, in the letter, had further said now that the apex court had disposed off the petition of Jaffery, a riot victim, he was no longer constrained by it and hence could elaborate on how Modi and others allegedly misused secret service fund (SSF) to bribe Sarabhai's lawyer and undermine proceedings related to her petition in April 2002.
Bhatt, who was DCP (Intelligence) in Ahmedabad during riots, had alleged that an amount of Rs 10 lakh from the SSF was delivered to Modi and handed over to Shah in his presence for disbursal and execution of their plan.