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During the hearing, which was stretched over a week`s period, Bhatt`s advocate Syed contended that his client`s arrest was politically motivated. He argued that the arrest was also aimed at getting hold of and destroying the alleged evidence he had against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi with regard to the 2002 communal riots. Syed had further contended that the complaint, on which Bhatt was arrested, was false and was filed with an ulterior motive, at the behest of some political functionaries and senior police officers.
He had said that the complainant K D Pant, who had alleged that Bhatt had threatened him and forced him to sign false affidavits, appeared to be acting as a ploy at the dictates of political members of the state government. Syed said that most of the sections of IPC, under which, Bhatt was charged were bailable and should be given bail.
State government`s senior counsel Raju, while opposing Bhatt`s bail contended that Bhatt did not deserve bail, as he was a habitual offender with criminal antecedents. To support his claims, Raju highlighted other criminal cases against him in various courts, which included case of police torture in custody registered in 1994 in Porbandar, and a case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, which is pending against Bhatt in Pali, Rajasthan since 1996.
