Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Refuses To Suspend Sentence Of Ex IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt In 1990 Custodial Death Case
|The Supreme Court today pronounced its decision in the application filed by Gujarat IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is seeking a suspension of the life sentence handed to him in connection with a 1990 custodial death case.
A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta dismissed Sanjiv Bhatt's bail application and ordered that his appeal be expedited.
On February 28, 2025, the Bench had reserved its decision.
The plea was submitted as part of a Special Leave Petition challenging the Gujarat High Court’s January 2024 ruling, which upheld Bhatt’s conviction and sentence.
The case stems from the death of Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani, who had been taken into custody along with over 130 others during a Bharat Bandh in November 1990 while Bhatt was serving as the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Jamnagar. Vaishnani was allegedly subjected to custodial torture, and although he was released on bail after nine days, he died ten days later. Medical reports attributed his death to renal failure.
Following the incident, an FIR was registered against Bhatt and other officers. Though a Magistrate took cognizance of the case in 1995, proceedings were halted by a stay from the Gujarat High Court, which remained in effect until 2011. The trial finally commenced thereafter, culminating in a June 2019 verdict by a Sessions Court in Jamnagar. Bhatt and police constable Pravinsinh Zala were sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty under IPC sections 302, 323, and 506(1). Several other officers were convicted under lesser charges.
Bhatt, along with Zala, Shah, and Pandya, appealed the verdict, but the High Court dismissed their petitions.
Cause Title : Sanjiv Kumar Rajendrabhai Bhatt V The State Of Gujarat & Anr. (Slp(Crl) No. 11736/2024)