Sacked cop Sanjiv Bhatt gets lifer in 1989 custodial death case

Sacked IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Sanjiv Bhatt was on Thursday awarded life imprisonment in an old custodial death case by Jamnagar Sessions Court. Another cop, Pravinsinh Jhala, has also been given a lifer in the case. District sessions court judge D.M. Vyas gave the verdict.

Bhatt had shot into limelight when he deposed before various inquiry commissions after the post-Godhra riots of 2002 against the then Narendra Modi-led BJP government in Gujarat.

The Jamnagar Sessions Court's decision comes after the Supreme Court last week rejected Bhatt's plea of fresh examination of witnesses in the case. Bhatt in his plea had contended that the examination of the witnesses was crucial to arrive at a fair decision. He had challenged the Gujarat High Court's order that had denied permission.

The Gujarat government had informed the Supreme Court that a trial court in Gujarat had reserved the judgment in the case for June 20.

Bhatt was posted in Jamnagar as additional superintendent of police during the custodial death case of 1989. According to reports, Bhatt had detained over 100 people in connection with communal violence and one of the persons detained died after his release.

A fitness freak, Bhatt was suspended in 2011 for not attending office, without necessary permission and allegedly “misusing” official vehicle. He was later on sacked from the service in 2015. Bhatt has been behind the bars for over eight months now in connection with another case, which is about 22 years old. It involved alleged planting of drugs for arresting a lawyer. Bhatt was superintendent of Banaskantha district in 1996 when the incident happened.

While lawyer Sumersinh Rajput was arrested on the charges of possessing around one kilogram of drugs, Rajasthan Police concluded that the lawyer was falsely implicated to transfer a disputed property in Pali, Rajasthan. Bhatt had time and again written at various levels about withdrawal of his security cover. Few months ago, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had demolished a portion of his house in Ahmedabad terming it as illegal.

His wife Shweta, who unsuccessfully contested assembly election against Narendra Modi from Maninagar in Ahmedabad, could not be reached for her comments.