The court also sought a reply from the state government by August 19 in connection with Bhatt's plea for suspension of sentence till the appeal is pending
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday admitted the appeal filed by former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt against life imprisonment awarded by a Jamnagar court in connection with a custodial death case of 1990 when he was posted as the additional superintendent of police in the district.
The court also sought a reply from the state government by August 19 in connection with Bhatt's plea for suspension of sentence till the appeal is pending.
Sessions judge DM Vyas on June 20 had convicted the former top cop, as well as a constable Pravinsinh Zala, of murder under the Indian Penal Code and pronounced life sentence. The court had also convicted five other police personnel in the case—sub-inspectors Dipak Shah and Sailesh Pandya, and constables Pravinsinh Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva, and Keshu Jadeja. All the five persons have been sentenced to two years in prison.
Bhatt has claimed that the order of conviction and sentence passed by the sessions court is illegal and unwarranted considering the facts and circumstances of the case. He has also contended that the sessions judge has erred by not appreciating the evidence on record and on its credibility aspects.
As per the case details, Bhatt along with other police officials had detained around 150 people in connection with a communal riot in Jamjodhpur town on October 30, 1990. One of those detained, Prabhudas Vaishnani, died in the hospital after his release allegedly due to custodial torture. The deceased's brother filed an FIR against Bhatt and six other police officials, accusing them of killing his brother by torturing him in custody.
Interestingly, Bhatt, who is at loggerheads with the ruling dispensation, is already behind bars in connection with a 23-year-old drug planting case, after he was arrested on September 2018.
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