Supreme Court Denies Bail to Sanjiv Bhatt in 1990 Custodial Death Case
Supreme Court Rejects Bail for Ex-IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt
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The Supreme Court has refused to grant bail to former Gujarat IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is serving a life sentence for his role in a 1990 custodial death case. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made the decision on Tuesday, finding no grounds to release Bhatt on bail despite his appeal.
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The court, however, directed that the hearing of Bhatt’s criminal appeal be expedited. This means the case will move forward more quickly through the court system. This decision comes after Bhatt challenged the January 2024 judgment of the Gujarat High Court, which upheld his conviction and sentence.
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The Background of the Case
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The case stems from the death of Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani in November 1990. Vaishnani, who was in custody for rioting during a Bharat Bandh, died ten days after being released on bail. An FIR was filed against Bhatt and other officers, alleging custodial torture as the cause of death. The trial faced numerous delays, finally commencing in 2011.
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Conviction and Appeal
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In June 2019, a Sessions Court in Jamnagar sentenced Bhatt and a police constable to life imprisonment. Several other officers were also convicted for custodial torture. Bhatt and other convicted officers appealed to the Gujarat High Court, but their appeals were dismissed. Now, Bhatt has appealed to the Supreme Court.
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Arguments in Court
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Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Bhatt, argued that there was no evidence to convict his client and that medical reports suggested Vaishnani’s death was due to pre-existing conditions. Sibal emphasized that no complaint of torture was made by Vaishnani upon his release. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, representing the State of Gujarat, countered that medical evidence showed Vaishnani’s death resulted from kidney failure caused by police torture. Singh also pointed out that Bhatt is already serving a 20-year sentence in another case.
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The Supreme Court’s decision to deny bail while expeditiously hearing the appeal highlights the seriousness of the charges against Bhatt and the urgency of resolving this long-standing case.
