SC dismisses ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s plea in 1996 fake drug seizure case and imposes Rs.10,000 for the frivolous petition

Former police inspector IB Vyas had moved the Gujarat High Court in 1999 demanding a thorough inquiry into the case

February 20, 2023

Apex Court imposes costs on Sanjiv Bhatt for challenging HC direction setting deadline for trial in 1996 fake drug seizure case

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by jailed former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt challenging a Gujarat High Court order which set a deadline for the completion of trial in a 1996 fake drug seizure case. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Aravind Kumar also imposed a cost of Rs.10,000 on Bhatt for filing a “frivolous” petition. The apex court directed Bhatt to deposit the amount with the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority.

“The Petitioner rather than approaching this Court ought to have cooperated with the trial court for expeditious disposal. The grant of an extension is a matter for the trial court. The petition is found to be absolutely frivolous and costs of Rs.10,000 are imposed,” the bench said.

Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Bhatt, submitted that a number of witnesses have not yet been examined and directions, as issued by the high court, will prevent the trial court from deciding the matter in a judicious matter. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Gujarat, argued that parties in a criminal trial should be keen on swift disposal of the matter.

Deep-rooted conspiracy

Bhatt, who was sacked from service in 2015, was a superintendent of police in Banaskantha district in 1996. The district police under him had arrested Sumersingh Rajpurohit, a Rajasthan-based lawyer, in 1996 claiming they had seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur town where he was staying. However, the Rajasthan police later said the Banaskantha police falsely implicated Rajpurohit to compel him to transfer a disputed property located at Pali in Rajasthan. Former police inspector IB Vyas had moved the Gujarat High Court in 1999 demanding a thorough inquiry into the case.

The investigation found that Bhatt used police force to go to a bordering district in Rajasthan to kidnap the lawyer and brought him to Banaskantha in Gujarat and placed him in a hotel and placed narcotics drugs in the room. At one point in 1999, Gujarat High Court observed that these types of cruel police officers like Sanjiv Bhatt should not be posted in uniform. But no action was taken as Bhatt was playing his games with Congress and BJP leadership.

Controversial notorious police Officer Sanji Bhatt is already convicted and in jail for custodial torture case of 1996.

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