SC denies ex-IPS Sanjiv Bhatt bail in custodial death case
What's the story
The Supreme Court has denied bail and suspension of the life sentence to former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt. The verdict was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, who stated their decision not to release Bhatt on bail or suspend his sentence. However, they did expedite the hearing of the appeal filed by him in the top court.
Incident details
Background of the custodial death case
The case against Bhatt goes back to 1990, when he was an additional superintendent of police in Jamnagar district. After a communal riot, he had detained almost 133 people under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). The riots were a result of a Bharat Bandh called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) against the arrest of then BJP chief Lal Krishna Advani during the Rath Yatra procession to Ayodhya.
Legal proceedings
Allegations of custodial torture and subsequent legal action
One of those detained by Bhatt was Prabhudas Vaishnani, who died after being released from custody. Vaishnani was detained by police for nine days before being freed on bail. He died of kidney failure. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged against Bhatt and other officers for custodial death in 1995. A Sessions Court convicted Bhatt along with another policeman, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
Additional cases
Bhatt's appeal and other legal troubles
In January 2024, the Gujarat High Court dismissed Bhatt's appeal against his conviction and sentence. He then moved the SC, which issued a notice to the Gujarat government in August 2024. The court also heard his plea for suspension of sentence before reserving its verdict. Apart from this case, Bhatt is also accused in a 1996 case of planting drugs and a 1997 case of custodial torture.