Jamnagar:

Jamnagar: A local court here today awarded life sentence to sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt (55) in connection with an around 3 decade old custodial death case.

Bhatt in the capacity of the then ASP of Jamnagar on October 30, 1990 ordered the detention of over 133 people in Jamjodhpur town of Jamnagar district in Gujarat in apprehension of riot during the Rath Yatra of veteran BJP leader L K Advani there. After they were released one of them Prabhudas Vaishnani had died in hospital on November 18 that year. His brother Amritbhai later filed a case alleging that he had died due to custodial torture by 7 policemen including Bhatt and then constable Pravin Zala.

The court of district judge D M Vyas today held Bhatt guilty of murder under section 302 of the IPC and awarded lifer to him. Zala was also given similar punishment. The other five accused were held guilty under section 323 of the IPC and were given a punishment of 2 years.

Notably, Bhatt, A Gujarat cadre IPS was suspended by the state government in 2011 for long absence from duty and was later sacked for the same in August 2015.

He is currently in judicial custody in connection with a drug planting case.

Bhatt had earlier on June 12 approached the Supreme Court seeking permission for examination of additional 10 witnesses in the custodial death case but the court refused to entertain his plea. The Gujarat government had opposed it saying that it was a delay tactic at a time the lower court has completed the final hearing was to pronounce the verdict.

DeshGujarat