Ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt convicted in 1996 drug planting case

Ahmedabad: A special court in Palanpur on Thursday found ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt guilty in the case of framing a lawyer in a narcotics case in 1996 when he was posted as district superintendent of police. 

The special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court convicted Bhatt and reserved its order on quantum of sentence, which is likely to be pronounced on Friday. The prosecution has sought maximum punishment of 20 years prescribed under the relevant sections of NDPS act. 

According to prosecution lawyers, Bhatt has been held guilty under NDPS sections 21 (c), 27A (punishment for financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders), 29 ( abetment and criminal conspiracy to commit offence under NDPS Act), 58 (1) and (2) (vexatious entry, search, seizure and arrest). 

The court has also found him guilty under IPC sections 465 (forgery), 471 (using forged document), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury), 204 (secrets or destroys any document), 343 (wrongful confinement), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intent).

Bhatt was accused of framing Sumer Singh Rajpurohit, a lawyer from Rajasthan, in a narcotics case by planting drugs at a Palanpur hotel room as part of a "well-planned conspiracy" to get a property vacated in Rajasthan's Pali district.

Bhatt was then posted as Superintendent of Police of Banaskantha district which shares its border with Pali district in Rajasthan. The property belonged to a relative of R R Jain who was then a sitting judge of Gujarat High Court.

The Gujarat CID (crime) investigated the case and claimed Bhatt as one of the key conspirators, allegedly spent Rs20,000 to buy opium which was planted in a hotel room in Palanpur back in 1996.

The CID investigation was undertaken following a Gujarat high court order in 2018.He was arrested on September 5, 2018 and since then he has been behind bars. Later, he was also sentenced to life imprisonment in a custodial death case in Jamnagar.

Bhatt didn't get any relief from the court on the ground that the case against him was registered back in 1996 and in 2000, the local police had filed "A" summary report, and the case was closed. The co-accused policemen in this case I B Vyas turned approver against Bhatt.

Bhatt is currently lodged at Palanpur jail.