Yogesh Bhatt, the retired judicial officer and first secretary of Justice (retired) K A Puj Commission, which was constituted by the BJP-led Gujarat government to probe the alleged acts of police atrocities on Patidars during their 2015 reservation agitation, has resigned, citing “less salary” offered to him. Highly placed sources said that Bhatt had resigned a few days ago and the post is now lying vacant. The two-member Commission comprises former judge of the Gujarat High Court Justice K A Puj as chairperson and M H Shah, former district judge, as its member. Sources said that Bhatt had resigned as the salary offered to him was not up to the mark. And therefore he chose to retire hardly one-and-a-half-months after he was appointed on March 31, they added. Bhatt is a judicial officer who retired as the presiding officer of industrial court. He later became a member of the VAT Tribunal. As per the rules framed by the Commission for its functioning, the post of Secretary is very important. “The Secretary to the Commission shall be in-charge of the office of the Commission. He shall have power and authority to send and receive communications on behalf of the Commission and to receive statements, affidavits, applications etc that may be filed before the Commission.The rules and other publications of the Commission shall also be signed by the secretary.,” says one of the rules framed by the K A Puj Commission. With the post of secretary to the Commission lying vacant, various evidence produced before it are being received by an under secretary level officer. When contacted, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said, “Generally, we appoint retired judges to such posts on pay minus pension basis (salary which includes pension of the employee). I do not know about this particular issue and will have to check that.” The government had constituted the commission in October 2017 to inquire into the violence that took place at GMDC Ground in Ahmedabad on August 25, 2015 and alleged abuse of power and atrocities committed on Patidars by police in Ahmedabad and other places of the state.
