Drug planting case: Gujarat HC denies bail to ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt
Saeed Khan | TNN | Updated: Mar 7, 2019, 16:20 IST
Ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt(File photo)AHMEDABAD: Gujarat high court on Thursday denied bail to ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in connection with 22-year-old drug planting case to frame a Rajasthan-based lawyer to evict him from a shop in Pali town.
Bhatt had approached the high court after a sessions court in Palanpur refused him bail on December 7, 2018. While denying bail to Bhatt, the Palanpur court cited Bhatt’s "behaviour" and "false declarations" before government authorities and courts to refuse him bail. These reasons were cited apart from the apprehension shown on part of the court that Bhatt, being an influential person, might tamper with evidence as the case diary in this case was already found tampered with. The court had also cited Bhatt’s "criminal past" as he faces serious charges in different cases including murder.
The trial court had said that it had reason to believe that Bhatt left for foreign shores on five occasions without taking permission from the court. "This leads the court to doubt that the accused may not follow the bail conditions, if released on bail," it had observed in December last year.
The court also highlighted Bhatt’s declaration before the passport authority in 2017 that there was no criminal proceeding, arrest warrant and summons pending against him, whereas he was facing trial in courts in Jamnagar, Ahmedabad and Pali.
With Bhatt, who was an SP in Banaskantha district then, former Palanpur police inspector I B Vyas was arrested on charges of framing Rajpurohit in the false case of drug peddling in 1996. The investigation took place on the HC directions on petitions filed by retired HC judge R R Jain and Vyas for further probe in this case. The shop that was sought to be vacated in Pali belonged to Justice Jain’s sister.
Bhatt had approached the high court after a sessions court in Palanpur refused him bail on December 7, 2018. While denying bail to Bhatt, the Palanpur court cited Bhatt’s "behaviour" and "false declarations" before government authorities and courts to refuse him bail. These reasons were cited apart from the apprehension shown on part of the court that Bhatt, being an influential person, might tamper with evidence as the case diary in this case was already found tampered with. The court had also cited Bhatt’s "criminal past" as he faces serious charges in different cases including murder.
The trial court had said that it had reason to believe that Bhatt left for foreign shores on five occasions without taking permission from the court. "This leads the court to doubt that the accused may not follow the bail conditions, if released on bail," it had observed in December last year.
The court also highlighted Bhatt’s declaration before the passport authority in 2017 that there was no criminal proceeding, arrest warrant and summons pending against him, whereas he was facing trial in courts in Jamnagar, Ahmedabad and Pali.
With Bhatt, who was an SP in Banaskantha district then, former Palanpur police inspector I B Vyas was arrested on charges of framing Rajpurohit in the false case of drug peddling in 1996. The investigation took place on the HC directions on petitions filed by retired HC judge R R Jain and Vyas for further probe in this case. The shop that was sought to be vacated in Pali belonged to Justice Jain’s sister.
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