SC Dismisses Ex-IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s Plea Asking For Examination Of Additional Witnesses In Custodial Death Case

A vacation bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi dismissed a petition by former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt asking for examining 11 more witnesses in a custodial death case from 30 years ago in which he is an accused, reports ANI.

"We are not inclined to entertain the petition. The same is devoid of merits. We dismiss it," the bench ruled.

The government of Gujarat was represented by former additional solicitor general (ASG) and veteran Supreme Court advocate Maninder Singh. He informed the court the trial in the case is already over, and Jamnagar Sessions Court is expected to come out with its judgment in the case on either 20 June or the first week of July.

The case stems from the custodial death of one Prabhudas Vaishnani in Gujarat’s Jamnagar in 1989 when Bhatt was serving in the district as additional superintendent of police.

Bhatt is also well known for his legal fight against the Gujarat government and especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi, who had served as the former chief minister of Gujarat, was accused by Bhatt of being complicit in the murder of Muslims during the 2002 riots.

However, the SIT set up by the apex court had given Modi a clean chit. In 2015, Bhatt was suspended from service on grounds of absence from duty.