New Delhi, Sept 24: The Supreme Court on Monday heard the plea of Shweta Bhatt, wife of jailed ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who has accused the Gujarat government of preventing her husband from moving the apex court against the charges levelled on him.

Taking cognizance of the plea, the top court  said the allegations are "serious" if found to be true. The bench asked former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who was appearing on behalf of the Gujarat government, to respond whether Bhatt is not being allowed to exercise his legal rights. Sanjiv Bhatt, Suspended IPS Officer, Arrested in Connection With 1998 Palanpur Case.

The court said this is against the "usual" precedence, as normally, the accused moves the higher judiciary rather than his kin. "But in this case, the wife has come to the court. If a citizen is making a serious allegation, the state must give its response," the bench was reported as saying by NDTV.

The Supreme Court has asked Rohatgi to file a response on behalf of the Gujarat government by Friday. The next hearing is scheduled on October 4.

Bhatt was arrested earlier in the month by the Gujarat police in a case dating back to 1998. At the time, Bhatt was heading the police force in Banaskantha district. He is accused of falsely implicating a lawyer by placing 1-kg of opium in his office.

The former IPS, who was rusticated from service in 2015 for "unauthorised absence", is a vocal critic of the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2018 08:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).