Ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s wife moves Gujarat HC for police protection
Ahmedabad, May 8: Sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's wife, who had contested against the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2012 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket, Wednesday approached the high court, seeking police protection.
Shweta Bhatt sought the Gujarat HC's direction to the respondents (the government) to provide her and her family with "armed police protection at the cost of the state", claiming there was a threat to her life.
Sanjiv Bhatt, is currently in judicial custody in a case of allegedly planting drugs to frame a person.
Justice Sonia Gokani, acting on her petition, issued notices to the Gujarat director general of police and the Ahmedabad Police commissioner and posted the matter for next hearing on May 10.
Security provided to Sanjiv Bhatt by the state government was withdrawn in July 2018.
Two months later on September 5, 2018, he was arrested in connection with the 1996 case of allegedly planting drugs to frame a person.
Sanjiv Bhatt had approached the Supreme Court after his security cover was withdrawn. The apex court, in turn, had directed him to approach the high court.
After his arrest, the "threat perception" against her and her family members has increased, she said in her petition.
Shweta Bhatt said her contesting the Assembly election against Modi had "enraged many".
She said certain incidents after the arrest of her husband has caused her to worry about the safety and security of herself and her family members.
Her car had met with an accident when a truck hit it in Ahmedabad. Unidentified persons were seen loitering around her house, and she was also followed by unknown people, she claimed in her petition.
Even Gujarat Police personnel follow her in plainclothes, making it hard for her to distinguish between police and unidentified persons, she claimed.
Shweta Bhatt said that a part of their house was demolished by the civic body recently and it has become vulnerable.
The demolished portion was deemed illegal by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
Sanjiv Bhatt was suspended in 2011 on charges of remaining absent from duty without permission and misuse of official vehicle.
The Gujarat cadre IPS officer was eventually sacked by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2015.
He had crossed swords with Modi, the then chief minister, on several occasions over the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Shweta Bhatt had unsuccessfully contested against Modi from the Maninagar Assembly constituency here in 2012.
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Rupee falls 28 paise to 94.77 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 94.77 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market sentiment took a dramatic turn after reports emerged that the US and Iran are discussing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at reducing tensions and reopening negotiations.
Forex traders said Brent oil prices, which had fallen to USD 98 on the US-Iran peace deal, edged slightly higher to USD 101 per barrel after investors weighed the prospects for a Middle East peace deal.
Moreover, factors such as unabated foreign capital outflows amid rising geopolitical uncertainties further dented investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.77 against the US dollar, registering a fall of 28 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 69 paise to close at 94.49 against the US dollar.
"Markets are currently focused on the critical 48-hour window during which the US expects Tehran’s formal response through Pakistani mediators," said CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.01, down 0.01 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 101.83 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 160.24 points to 77,798.28 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 30.25 points to 24,300.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, the country's goods and services exports rose 4.6 per cent to an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25, despite global economic uncertainties, according to revised commerce ministry data.
Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25, the data showed.
