Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt file fast-tracked after Rajnath Singh took over

NEW DELHI: The UPA sat on the file of dismissed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt for over a year and even asked the Gujarat government headed by Narendra Modi to give him another chance to defend himself before Gujarat wrote to the Centre on the very day the Modi government was sworn in Delhi that the proceedings against Bhatt be taken forward. This was after Gujarat had written to MHA on March 11, 2013, asking for approval to impose a “major penalty” on Bhatt. However, MHA under SK Shinde sat on the file for a year and wrote back to Gujarat on March 11, 2014, that “it would be in accordance with the principles of natural justice if the officer is provided another opportunity by providing him a copy of the inquiry report”.

Gujarat revived the case on May 26, 2014, and wrote to the Centre that Bhatt was supplied a copy of the inquiry report on April 23, 2014, but had not submitted any representation till date. MHA under Rajnath Singh “re-examined the case” and on September 2, 2014, forwarded the case to the UPSC for “advice on the quantum of penalty”. “It was UPSC which proposed that the major penalty should be termination of service,” a senior MHA official said. The UPSC advice came on June 18, 2015, and MHA forwarded it to Bhatt for his comments.

Bhatt replied saying he wanted certain documents in Gujarati to be translated to English and blamed a “vindictive apparatus” working against him at the behest of Gujarat government. The MHA dismissed both these grounds and issued his dismissal orders on August 13.