IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Tuesday requested the Nanavati Commission to defer his deposition till he gets legal support, alleging that he was being subjected to a "slander campaign" by the Gujarat government. The panel consisting of Retd Justices G T Nanavati and Akshay Mehta, however, rejected Bhatt's application saying it cannot defer the proceedings in the middle.

The Commission also told the state government that questions it had posed before Bhatt yesterday, with regard to allegations of atrocity and misuse of TADA against him when he was posted in Jamnagar in 1990, was not concerned with purpose for which the IPS officer was called.

When the proceedings began today, Bhatt objected to the line of questioning and alleged that "it was a slander campaign against him for filing affidavit in the Supreme Court."

Bhatt, in an affidavit filed in the SC last month, had claimed that he was present in the meeting called by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on the night of February 27, 2002, where Modi instructed his officers to allow Hindus "to vent out their anger" during the clashes and he wanted Muslims to be "taught a lesson".

Bhatt further alleged the cross-examination by the state government counsel S B Vakil was in entirely different directions dealing with scandalous details based on half truth.

And for this purpose, Bhatt has sought time from the Commission to get legal advice as he would not be in a position to reply to questions of the state government.