In a significant development, a Gujarat court has acquitted former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a 1997 custodial torture case, citing insufficient evidence. Bhatt, who has been serving sentences in separate cases, was given the benefit of the doubt as the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Court’s Findings

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Mukesh Pandya delivered the verdict on Saturday, stating that the required sanction to prosecute Bhatt, a public servant at the time, was not obtained. The case was registered under IPC Sections 330 (causing hurt to extort confession) and 324 (causing hurt with dangerous weapons) on allegations that Bhatt had tortured a detainee, Naran Jadav, to extract a confession.

The court noted that the evidence presented did not conclusively establish that Bhatt or his deceased co-accused, constable Vajubhai Chau, used threats or dangerous methods to force a confession. Chau’s case was abated following his death.

Background of the Case

The case originated from a complaint by Jadav, who was one of the accused in a 1994 arms smuggling case. According to the prosecution, Jadav was brought to Bhatt’s residence in Porbandar in July 1997, where he and his son were allegedly subjected to electric shocks. Jadav later informed the judicial magistrate about the alleged torture, prompting an inquiry and subsequent filing of an FIR against Bhatt and Chau in 2013.

Other Legal Cases Against Bhatt

Bhatt, a former superintendent of police in Porbandar, has faced multiple convictions in high-profile cases:

         1990 Jamnagar Custodial Death Case: Bhatt is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the custodial death of Prabhudas Vaishnani, a detainee held during communal riots in Jamjodhpur town following BJP leader L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra.

         1996 Drug Planting Case: In March 2024, Bhatt was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for allegedly planting drugs to frame a lawyer from Rajasthan.

         2002 Gujarat Riots Evidence Fabrication Case: Bhatt is also an accused in a case involving alleged fabrication of evidence related to the Gujarat riots, along with activist Teesta Setalvad and former Gujarat DGP R.B. Sreekumar.

Dismissal from Service

Bhatt was suspended in 2011 and dismissed from service in 2015 by the Ministry of Home Affairs for "unauthorized absence." He gained national attention for filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court alleging that then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had a role in the 2002 riots, claims later debunked by a Special Investigation Team.

Bhatt remains in Rajkot Central Jail, serving his sentences in other cases. His legal battles continue, as he has challenged his convictions in the Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court. The acquittal in the 1997 custodial torture case marks a rare legal reprieve for the former officer amid a series of convictions and ongoing cases.