AHMEDABAD: Dismissed IPS officer
Sanjiv Bhatt was arrested on Wednesday in a 22-year-old case where he allegedly planted drugs in a hotel room in Palanpur to frame a lawyer to pressurize his relatives to vacate a property owned by a judge's sister.
Following investigations under directions of
Gujarat HC, state CID (Crime) arrested Bhatt, who was then DSP of Banaskantha along with retired cop IB Vyas, who served as police inspector under Bhatt.
Additional DGP of CID (crime) Ajay Tomar said that the agency took over the probe in June this year following an HC order. Interestingly, the petition for investigation was demanded by Vyas himself as well as former HC judge, R R Jain, who had allegedly sought help from Bhatt. "Bhatt and some subordinates planted 1.015 kg opium in Hotel Lajwanti to Rajasthan lawyer Sumersingh Rajpurohit on April 30, 1996," he said.
Tomar said, "During our investigation, we found Bhatt and others involved in the conspiracy to fix Rajpurohit to pressurize him to vacate a shop in Pali town in Rajasthan." Police may also book Bhatt and Vyas under provisions of NDPS Act. "We have summoned a number of persons associated with the case and more arrests are likely," he added.
Bhatt hit headlines in 2011 after he filed an affidavit in the SC claiming that he was present in a meeting held at the residence of the then CM Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002. Bhatt accused Modi of directing cops to go slow on rioters. He was dismissed from the service for long term absenteeism in 2015.
HC had ordered CID to probe case in June
According to case details, Banskantha police raided Hotel Lajwanti on an anonymous message to the control room that Rajpurohit had checked in with intention to sell 5 kg opium. Cops found 1.015 kg opium in the room and on May 2 arrested Rajpurohit from Pali, where he practiced law.
He was arrested for drug peddling and cops filed discharge summary for him only after his relatives handed over the possession of the shop to its owner, Amribai alias Anita Jain, who was Justice Jain’s sister.
While Palanpur police did not probe the case any further, Rajpurohit filed a complaint against Justice Jain, Bhatt and other Gujarat policemen in Pali court in October 1996 for his abduction, framing and conspiracy to pressurize him to vacate the shop for Justice Jain’s sister. The Pali court ordered local police to register an FIR. Finally, investigation took place on orders issued by a sessions court. Rajasthan police implicated nine persons including Justice Jain and his relatives along with Bhatt in the case on the basis of evidence provided by Rajpurohit in form of two cassettes containing recording of telephone conversation as well as sting operations. Rajasthan police claimed that Justice Jain and his relatives had conspired during a relative’s wedding in Rajasthan to make Rajpurohit vacate the shop. Upon Justice Jain’s instructions, Bhatt and his subordinates had acted and framed the lawyer to pressurise him.
The probe by Rajasthan police also mentioned that Rajpurohit’s family and Justice Jain’s relatives had prepared an agreement towards transferring possession of the shop, specifying the condition in writing that Rajpurohit would be released from jail as soon as shop’s possession is transferred.
Taken aback with their implication, Justice Jain in 1998 and Vyas in 1999 approached Gujarat HC demanding CBI probe in the FIR registered in Palanpur as well as in Pali. The HC heard the case 20 years later. Shocked at inaction by Gujarat police, the HC in June this year ordered CID (crime) to form an SIT to investigate the case.
CID (crime) officials said that Bhatt and Vyas could be produced before a court in Palanpur on Thursday.
Dismissed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt (File photo)
