Ahmedabad, July 4 (IANS) A judge of the Gujarat High Court Monday refused to take up a petition of Gujarat Police officer Kuldeep Sharma, seeking quashing of a nine-year-old criminal case against him in which initiation of prosecution was recently ordered.

 
 After Justice M.R. Shah said the matter was not to be heard by him, it will now be placed before the chief justice for appropriate orders.
 
 Sharma, a Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer has challenged the Anand district chief judicial magistrate's order taking cognizance of a criminal complaint filed against him and the sanction of the home department to prosecute him.
 
 Alleging that the complaint was filed ‘to wreak vengeance and to settle personal scores’ with him, Sharma accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his government for having a prejudice against him and has alleged that Modi was biased against him.
 
 According to the case details, while Sharma was Inspector General, Ahmedabad in 2001, he had ordered arrest of Kirit Bhrambhatt, who was then a deputy superintendent of police, in connection with an old case where the police had already filed a closure report.
 
 Bhrambhatt contended in the complaint that following Sharma's orders, a team of 20 armed policemen arrived at his residence Oct 23, 2001, and illegally confined him there for over 24 hours.
 
 He was released only after orders from the then police chief.
 
 Bhrambhatt moved court after the local police refused to register his FIR alleging wrongful confinement and threat by a police officer.