SC refuses to suspend life sentence of convicted ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in 1990 custodial death case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s petition seeking bail and suspension of life imprisonment in a 1990 custodial death case, saying there was no merit in his plea.
“We are not inclined to grant Sanjiv Bhatt bail. The prayer of bail is dismissed. The hearing of appeal shall not be affected. The hearing of appeal is expedited,” a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta said.
The Bench, however, directed that his appeal against his conviction and sentence pending in the top court be expedited.
Bhatt has been lodged in Palanpur Jail after being awarded life-imprisonment by a Jamnagar sessions court in July 2019 for the custodial death of one Prabhudas Vaishnani in November 1990. Suspended in 2011 for remaining absent without permission and misuse of official vehicles, Bhatt was sacked in August, 2015.
Bhatt has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat High Court’s January 9, 2024 order dismissing his appeal. The top court had on August 27, 2024 issued notice to the Gujarat Government on Bhatt’s petition challenging his conviction and life imprisonment in the custodial death case.
The high court had also upheld the conviction of Bhatt and co-accused Pravinsinh Zala under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. It had dismissed the state government’s appeal seeking to enhance the sentences of five other accused who were acquitted of murder but convicted under Sections 323 and 506.
While Bhatt and Zala — both police officers — are behind bars, the high court had cancelled the bail bonds of the five other accused who are out of jail.
“From the evidence based on record, we are of the opinion that the trial court has rightly convicted (five) accused…for offences punishable under Sections 323,” the HC had said.
Bhatt and Zala were convicted for murder by the sessions court in Jamnagar on 20 June, 2019.
The trial court sentenced the other five policemen — sub-inspectors Dipak Shah and Sailesh Pandya, and constables Pravinsih Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva and Keshubha Jadeja — to two years in prison.
India