The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who sought bail and suspension of his sentence in a 1990 custodial death case for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bhatt, a whistleblower, testified against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his involvement in the 2002 Gujarat genocide.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said there was no merit in his plea for bail or suspension of sentence in the case.
“The prayers sought by the appellant, Sanjiv Kumar Bhatt, for the grant of bail are dismissed. Hearing of the appeal is directed to be expedited,” Justice Mehta said while reading out the order.
The court added, “We are not inclined to enlarge the appellant Sanjiv Kumar Bhatt on bail. However, we make it clear that the observations made hereinabove are restricted to the prayer for bail only and will have no bearing on the appeals of the appellant and the co-accused.”
The case dates back to 1990 when Bhatt was posted as the Additional Superintendent of Police in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. He had detained around 133 people under the stringent Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) during a communal riot in Jamjodhpur town.
On November 18, 1990, Prabhudas Vaishnani, one of the detainees, died in a hospital shortly after his release.
Following his death, Amrutlal Vaishnani, the victim’s brother, lodged a complaint of custodial death against seven policemen, including Sanjiv Bhatt.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
