Bhatt was granted bail on a bond of Rs 10,000 on the condition that he would not try to contact witnesses or intimidate them, either through other people or by telephone, and will not leave the country without court's permission. He was also directed to submit his passport to the court.
Walking out of the Sabarmati central jail after his release, a relaxed Bhatt said the rule of law has prevailed. "I am happy that the rule of law has prevailed. It is a victory for the victims of the state-sponsored riots... My stay in jail was like a sabbatical... I am still resolute for my cause... The cause is much bigger than me," he told reporters outside the prison.
Bhatt received an emotional welcome at his residence in Memnagar by wife Shweta Bhatt and their two children, other family members and relatives. A relieved Shweta thanked all those who stood by Bhatt's family. "We had faith in judiciary and now it has been proved right... I thank all those who have stood by us," said Shweta, who had written a letter to Home Minister P Chidambaram urging him to ensure that no harm is caused to her husband.
Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said the court order showed the "independence" of the legal system. "No matter how much people speculate and put question marks, ultimately and repeatedly we have shown our system is independent and it does not get swayed either by public opinion or by any kind of pressure," he told reporters in New Delhi.
In his order, the judge dealt with all of government's allegations against Bhatt and rejected most of them. Regarding Pant's accusation of illegal detention, the court observed that he had ample opportunities on various occasions to leave the place, but there was no effort on his part to escape.
The court also did not believe Pant's contention that the draft of affidavit was already prepared at advocate V H Kanara's office. "If the accused and lawyer together had already prepared draft of false affidavit, the process should not last long from midnight to morning," the judge said. The court also doubted Pant's claim that he had signed the affidavit without reading.
"Pant has studied up to second year of BBA in English medium. He is a senior policeman working with intelligence branch for a long time. It is not prima facie believable that he signed the affidavit under pressure from an officer, who is under suspension. Records create doubts on his complaint," the court observed.
On state government's claim of involvement of Congress state unit president Arjun Modhvadia in the case, the court said, "No evidence is put on record to show what transpired during the talks between Kanara and Modhvadia. There is no printout of SMSes placed before this court on basis of which any conclusion can be drawn on his involvement." The court also dismissed state government's argument that Bhatt was an habitual offender with criminal antecedents.
