The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of Sanjiv Bhatt, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who is currently serving a life sentence for his role in a 1990 custodial death case.
A bench consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta stated that there was “no merit” in Bhatt’s request for bail or for the suspension of his sentence.
Justice Nath emphasized that the “prayer of bail is dismissed,” adding that the hearing of Bhatt’s appeal would proceed without delay.
Appeal Pending In Court
Bhatt’s legal team had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court upheld his conviction on January 9, 2024. The High Court’s decision reaffirmed Bhatt’s life sentence and also upheld the conviction of his co-accused, Pravinsinh Zala, on charges under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The state government’s attempt to increase the sentences of five other individuals, who were acquitted of murder charges but convicted on lesser charges, was also rejected by the High Court.
The Incident of Custodial Death
The case stems from an incident on October 30, 1990, when Bhatt, who was then serving as the Additional Superintendent of Police in Jamjodhpur, detained around 150 individuals in connection with a communal riot. The unrest was triggered by a bandh called in protest against the halting of BJP leader L.K. Advani’s Rath Yatra for the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Among those detained was Prabhudas Vaishnani, who died in the hospital after being released from custody. Vaishnani’s brother accused Bhatt and six other police officers of torturing Vaishnani, leading to his death.
Legal Challenges
Apart from the custodial death case, Bhatt was arrested on September 5, 2018, in connection with another matter. In that case, he is accused of falsely implicating an individual in a drug possession case. The trial for this case is still ongoing.
Bhatt is also facing allegations of tampering with evidence in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots. In this case, he is charged alongside activist Teesta Setalvad and former Gujarat Director General of Police R.B. Sreekumar.
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