Ahmedabad, August, 2011

1. Shri Sanjiv R. Bhatt is an IPS officer of 1988 batch belonging to Gujarat cadre, whose career since the beginning of his service has remained controversial. Because of his numerous acts of omissions, commissions, controversial actions and behavior, he has mostly remained in the sidelined posts. He is facing several department proceedings and criminal cases of serious nature. Even he has not been promoted as IGP though his batchmates have been promoted long back.

2. At present he is in DIG rank and posted as Principal, SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh since 1st September, 2010. There are 340 Armed Police Recruits, who have been recruited with many efforts, are under training and passing through a crucial phase of their induction into the State Police force. Yet Shri Bhatt didn’t find it fit enough to do his duties at Junagadh.

3. Shri S. R. Bhatt, applied for ‘Half Pay Leave’ from 14.2.2011 to 8.4.2011 vide his application dated 9.2.2011. The DGP, Gujarat State informed him vide fax message dated 12.2.2011 that leave as applied for by him was not granted and, hence he should not proceed on leave. Ignoring the orders of his DGP, Shri S. R. Bhatt informed the DGP, Gujarat State on 12.2.2011 that he has proceeded on sick leave from 11.2.2011 (after office hours) for 30 days enclosing a medical certificate certifying the illness of his mother.

4. The DGP, Gujarat State vide his letter dated 13.2.2011 informed Shri S. R. Bhatt that appropriate decision on his leave application would be taken after compliance of the certain points. Shri S. R. Bhatt again requested for sick leave for 30 days along with contact details directly to the DGP office on 13.2.2011. Despite specific instructions from DGP, Gujarat State asking him not to proceed on leave, Shri S. R. Bhatt ignored such instructions and remained unauthorizedly absent from duty from 12.2.2011 to till date. In the interim, Shri S. R. Bhatt sent requests for extension of leave from time to time but the DGP refused leave/ extension of leave on all such occasions and asked Shri S. R. Bhatt to report for duty. But Shri S. R. Bhatt ignored all such instructions and orders from DGP, Gujarat State and remained/ continues to remain unauthorizedly absent from duty. He has not resumed duties yet though more than 10 months has passed since he has been posted. He has been making lame claims about his appearance before SIT and the Inquiry Commission, which any officer can do as a part of duty from any posting. Leave for such a long period is not a privilege and no one can claim such privilege as a ‘matter of right’.

5. Shri S. R. Bhatt’s unauthorized absence from duty is a very serious kind of misconduct, not befitting a senior member of the IPS. The gravity of the unauthorized absence from duty of Shri S. R. Bhatt becomes more serious for the reason that he is Principal of SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, District Junagadh, where new recruits are being trained and transformed in a well-disciplined members of the police force; by committing such misconduct, Shri S. R. Bhatt has set a very bad example of indiscipline and insubordination before the new recruits.

6. He was relieved of the additional charge of the post of DIG, Gram Rakshak Dal (GRD) vide Home Department’s Order dated 30.10.2010. Shri S. R. Bhatt was also instructed vide Order dated 30.10.2010 not to leave his official headquarter (SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh) without prior permission of the DGP, Gujarat State. Despite this, Shri S. R. Bhatt left the headquarter without permission of DGP, Gujarat State and remained at his residence at Ahmedabad.

7. Without obtaining any permission from the Addl. DGP (Training), Shri S. R. Bhatt performed his administrative duty from his residence at Ahmedabad and thereby indulged in the conduct unbecoming of a member of the IPS.

8. During 1.11.2010 to 20.12.2010, he took the services of 30 employees of SRP Training School as gunman and runner duty unauthorizedly at his Ahmedabad residence, which resulted in unnecessary financial burden of salary and TA/ DA on Government exchequer. During the unauthorized absence from duty, Shri S. R. Bhatt used Government vehicle with a driver from 12.2.2011 to 29.4.2011 at his residence at Ahmedabad i.e. outside his official headquarter, for his personal work, creating unnecessary financial burden on State exchequer, in violation of Para-458(4) of the Gujarat Police Manual Part-III.

9. Shri S. R. Bhatt did not submit his E-Statements for the months of September, October and November, 2010 to his higher authority in violation of Para-248 of the Gujarat Police Manual Part-III. Shri S. R. Bhatt made a misleading entry in the Movement Diary on 10.11.2010 and 15.11.2010 showing his presence at the SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh.

10. From the Log Book and the statements of his driver, Vice Principal and other staff of the SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh, Shri S. R. Bhatt was not present at the SRP Training Centre, Sorath, Junagadh on 10.11.2010 and 15.11.2010. He created a false record of his presence at the SRP Training Centre, Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh, which is a very serious matter amounting to lack of integrity and lack of devotion to duty.

11. Despite his unauthorized stay at Ahmedabad, Shri S. R. Bhatt, in his Movement Diary, mentioned that he remained at Ahmedabad from 1.11.2010 to 18.11.2010 for preparation of marathon. Participation in and preparation for marathon is not an official duty. He was not assigned any such duty for this event, meaning thereby that Shri S. R. Bhatt, for his personal work, stayed at Ahmedabad and remained unauthorizedly absent from duty at the headquarter.

12. Shri S. R. Bhatt did not write the Log Book for the Government vehicle No.GJ 18-G.2361 for quite some time, in violation of Government instructions in this regard as also in violation of of Para 499 (2) of the Gujarat Police Manual Part III. A Preliminary Inquiry was initiated against Shri S. R. Bhatt, for his unauthorized absence from the headquarter (Chawki, Sorath, Junagadh).

13. Despite repeated instructions given on 22.12.2010, 23.12.2010, 28.12.2010, 8.2.2011, 11.2.2011, 13.2.2011, 14.2.2011, 7.3.2011, 21.3.2011 and 22.3.2011 to remain present before the Preliminary Inquiry Officer (Shri Vinod Mall, IPS), he (Shri S. R. Bhatt) ignored the notices and did not remain present before the Preliminary Inquiry Officer. After giving sufficient opportunity to Shri Bhatt and after conducting inquiry by a senior officer like Shri V. K. Mall, a report was submitted to the DGP, Gujarat State.

14. During his tenure in the Gram Rakshak Dal, he (Shri S. R. Bhatt) used five Government vehicles unauthorizedly. Even after getting relieved from the charge of the post under the Gram Rakshak Dal on 30.10.2010, he continued to retain one vehicle of Gram Rakshak Dal (Ambassador Car No.GJ.3-G-341) with him unauthorizedly.

15. He took away two laptops, one multi-media projector, one computer, one cell-phone with SIM-card, two digital video cameras and one lawn mower from the office of the Gram Rakshak Dal to his residence, which were not returned till the Preliminary Inquiry started on 1.5.2011.

16. Looking into the inquiry report and the continuous disobedience by Shri Sanjiv Bhatt is a serious misconduct and under AIS Conduct & Discipline Rules, it attracts a major penalty. In this circumstance and having regard to the above-mentioned several serious acts of commission and omission and conduct unbecoming of a senior member of the IPS, after careful consideration, Shri S. R. Bhatt, IPS has been placed under suspension on 8/8/2011, in exercise of the powers conferred by Rule 3(1) of the All India Service (Discipline & Appeals) Rules, 1969.