The incident began with the arrest of Rajasthan-based lawyer Sumer Singh Rajpurohit by the Basankantha Police in 1996. This arrest followed the alleged discovery of drugs in his hotel room in Palanpur.
Former Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer Sanjiv Bhatt was convicted by a Sessions Court in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Wednesday in a drug-planting case dating back to 1996. Additional Sessions Judge N Thakkar found Bhatt guilty and adjourned the case to Thursday for the decision on sentencing.
Bhatt, who is already in jail in a custodial death case, was arrested in connection with the drug planting case in 2018. The case, involving provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), stemmed from the arrest of Rajasthan-based lawyer Sumer Singh Rajpurohit by the Basankantha Police in 1996. Rajpurohit was arrested following the alleged recovery of drugs from his hotel room in Palanpur.
At the time of the incident, Bhatt was serving as the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Palanpur. Although Rajpurohit was later discharged in the case, he accused Bhatt and other police officials of planting drugs to frame him, alleging that it was done to harass him over a property dispute.
In February 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea filed by Bhatt challenging a Gujarat High Court order that extended the trial completion time till March 31, 2023. The Supreme Court termed the plea frivolous and imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on Bhatt.
Bhatt is known for his outspoken criticism of the Narendra Modi-led government. He filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court alleging the complicity of the Modi-led Gujarat government in the 2002 Gujarat riots. He was dismissed from service by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015 for unauthorised absence from service.
Earlier this year, the Gujarat High Court dismissed Bhatt’s appeal against the conviction and life sentence imposed on him by a Jamnagar sessions court in a custodial death case dating back to 1990 when he served as the additional superintendent of police in Jamnagar district.
