Sohrab case: CBI questions suspended IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt

Bhatt, who accused Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of misusing the state machinery during post-Godhra riots in 2002, had last month filed an additional affidavit in the apex court alleging that Gujarat government was helping the accused in the fake encounter case to prepare their defence.

The CBI yesterday questioned Bhatt at his residence for over three hours regarding the Sohrabuddin case and the allegations made by him in the affidavit, officials said.
The CBI also collected documents that Bhatt had obtained from the email account of the Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta, they added.

The officials said it was apparent from the documents that besides Mehta, bureaucrats attached with the Chief Minister's office, Home department and senior police officers were making attempts to help former minister Amit Shah, a prime accused in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case in defending himself.

They said Bhatt could be questioned further, if needed, after examining the documents obtained from him.

The 1988-batch IPS officer was suspended early this month for misconduct by the state government.

Former Gujarat minister of state for home, Shah, was described by the CBI as the 'kingpin' of the conspiracy that led to the encounter of Sohrabuddin and killing of two of the key witnesses in the case Kausarbi and Tulsiram Prajapati.

Bhatt in his additional affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on July 26 had also alleged that details of the post-Godhra riots cases, being probed by special investigation team (SIT), were leaked to law officer of the state government.

In his 19-page supplementary affidavit Bhatt alleged that "someone" from within the SIT was leaking sensitive and confidential details related to investigations conducted by it to Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta.

He further claimed that these mails from SIT were forwarded to legal advisors of the riots accused in order to prepare their defense in the court.

Bhatt also alleged in the affidavit that he had seen e-mails from the SIT probing the riots cases in the personal mail account of Mehta.

Mehta on his part lodged a complaint with the state cyber cell last Friday accusing Bhatt of hacking his e-mails and case was under investigation.