गुजरात की अदालत ने 1996 के ड्रग प्लांटिंग मामले में पूर्व आईपीएस अधिकारी संजीव भट्ट को दोषी ठहराया।

Gujarat court convicts former IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt in a 1996 drug planting case.

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt faced a setback as a court in Palanpur, Gujarat's Banaskantha district, delivered a verdict on Wednesday, finding him guilty of offences stemming from a drug-planting incident dating back to 1996.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Patel disclosed that the additional sessions judge JN Thakkar presided over the proceedings, considering arguments from both the prosecution and the defence regarding the sentencing. The court is anticipated to announce its decision on Thursday.

The prosecution advocated for the maximum penalty of 20 years. Bhatt was found culpable under several sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, as well as various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including forgery, conspiracy, and wrongful confinement.

Bhatt stood trial in connection to a case where a lawyer from Rajasthan, Sumer Singh Rajpurohit, was apprehended in 1996 for allegedly possessing 1.15 kg of opium at a hotel in Palanpur. Bhatt, who was the district superintendent of police at the time, and IB Vyas, an inspector with the local crime branch, were both implicated. Vyas later became an approver in 2021.

According to the prosecution, Bhatt and "other co-accused" conspired to falsely implicate Rajpurohit in an opium possession case under the NDPS Act.

The police initially filed an FIR against Rajpurohit but later admitted their error, leading to Rajpurohit's discharge by the court. Subsequently, Rajpurohit filed a complaint accusing Bhatt, Vyas, other police officials, and a hotel owner, alleging they framed him at the behest of a former judge.

The case remained dormant until April 2018 when the Gujarat High Court ordered a special investigation team to probe the matter. Bhatt was arrested in September 2018, and after the investigation, a chargesheet was filed against him and Vyas in November 2018.

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