Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was arrested on September 5 this year (File Photo)A Gujarat court Friday rejected the bail plea of former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is behind bars for allegedly framing a lawyer in a narcotics case 22 years ago.
The state CID-crime had arrested Bhatt from his house in Ahmedabad on September 5 in connection with the alleged drug planting case dating back to 1996.
Breaking. A #Palanpur court in north #Gujarat rejects bail application of ex IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt who is behind the bars for allegedly framing a lawyer in narcotics case 22 years ago. Bhatt was arrested on September 5 by CID (crime) @IndianExpress
— satish jha. (@satishjha) December 7, 2018
The arrest was made after the Gujarat High Court in June directed the CID to probe the case in which Sumer Singh Rajpurohit, a Rajasthan-based lawyer, was booked for allegedly keeping 1.15 kg opium at a Palanpur hotel room in 1996. Rajpurohit had filed a case that year against Bhatt, who was then serving as SP of Banaskantha district, and several others.
Calling the investigation an “abuse of law”, Bhatt moved a bail application on several grounds, including the delay in the investigation into the case. He said that he has already been interrogated in the case and has “deep roots in society with movable and immovable property. Thus, is not likely to abscond or tamper with evidence and/or jump the bail, there is no legal evidence against him and he has no criminal antecedents”.
