Supreme Court has denied bail to Ex-IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt in 1990 Custodial Death Case.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to grant interim bail or suspend the life sentence of former Gujarat cadre IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is serving a sentence in a 1990 custodial death case. However, the court directed that Bhatt’s criminal appeal be expedited for early hearing.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta stated, “We are not inclined to enlarge the appellant on bail. However, the hearing of the appeal is directed to be expedited.”
Bhatt had approached the apex court challenging a January 2024 Gujarat High Court ruling, which upheld the Jamnagar Sessions Court’s 2019 decision sentencing him to life imprisonment.
Bhatt’s Defense
Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Devadatt Kamat, along with Advocates Rajesh G. Inamdar and Shashwat Anand, represented Bhatt. They argued that:
He has already been in custody for over five years.
There is no direct medical evidence linking him to custodial torture.
The deceased, Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani, had not complained of mistreatment upon his release on bail.
The death was caused by a pre-existing kidney condition, not police abuse.
Gujarat Government’s Response
Opposing the bail plea, the Gujarat Government—represented by Senior Advocate Maninder Singh and Advocate Swati Ghildiyal—argued:
Medical evidence suggested the victim’s renal failure was a result of custodial mistreatment.
Bhatt’s conviction in another criminal case indicated a pattern of misconduct.
There was no legal basis to warrant suspension of the sentence at this stage.
Case Background
The incident dates back to November 1990, when Bhatt, then serving as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Jamnagar, detained 133 people during a Bharat Bandh. One detainee, Prabhudas Vaishnani, was released on bail but died ten days later. Though the case saw years of delay, trial proceedings began in 2011 after a stay was lifted. In 2019, Bhatt and a co-accused officer were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Once a high-profile police officer, Bhatt drew national attention after alleging that then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was complicit in the 2002 Gujarat riots. He was later dismissed from service and has since been entangled in multiple legal battles.
