Latest news with #SanjivBhatt
Mint
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Supreme Court makes judges' family ties, assets public in major transparency push
In a major push for transparency and awareness for the public, the Supreme Court has started to publish the asset declarations and familial ties of the sitting judges on its official website, in accordance with a full-court decision to place the relevant details in the public domain. The asset declarations cover judges' movable property and gold, as well as investments held by them, their spouses, and joint family members. Statements of assets of 21 judges that the Supreme Court has already received are being uploaded for the public and declaration of assets of other judges will be uploaded as and when the current statement of assets is received, the court said. In a notification dated May 5, the Supreme Court said that it has also placed complete details of the appointment process to the high courts and the top court on its website. Also Read | Supreme Court rejects bail for ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Here's why… The details include 'process of appointments to the High Courts and Supreme Court including the role assigned to the High Court Collegium, the role and inputs received from the State Governments, Government of India, and consideration by the Supreme Court Collegium, on its website for knowledge and awareness of the public.' The details also include the proposals approved by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointments as High Court Judges during the period 9th November 2022 to 5th May 2025, including the names, High Court, source whether from Service or Bar, date of recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium, date of notification by Department of Justice, date of appointment, and special category (SC/ST/OBC/Minority/Woman)". The information in public mentions whether candidates' familial ties such as if they are related to any retired or sitting judge of the high court/Supreme Court. 'Statements of assets of Judges already received are being uploaded. Statement of assets of other Judges will be uploaded as and when the current statement of assets is received,' the Supreme Court said. First Published: 6 May 2025, 08:38 AM IST
Hans India
30-04-2025
- Hans India
SC rejects Sanjiv Bhatt's plea for bail in custodial death case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's plea seeking release on bail and suspension of sentence in a 1990 custodial death case. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was dealing with an appeal filed by Bhatt against the Gujarat High Court's judgment upholding the trial court's order of conviction and sentence of life imprisonment. It clarified that the dismissal of the instant plea for bail would not affect the hearing of the appeal on merits and directed expeditious hearing of the matter. Earlier, the Gujarat High Court had dismissed Bhatt's appeal against the conviction and sentence. 'We are of the view that the trial court has not committed any error in passing the impugned judgment and therefore, no interference is required in the present appeals. We are of the view that prosecution has proved the case against the respective accused/convicts and hence, no interference is required in the impugned judgment and order passed by the Ld. Trial Court,' a bench of Justices Ashutosh Shastri and Sandeep N. Bhatt had ruled. 'We, also on our independent look, perusal and scrutiny of evidence, found that the conclusion arrived at by the learned trial judge in passing an order, impugned in this proceeding, is in consonance with material on record and in accordance with law and there is no element of perversity of any nature.' In 2019, the Jamnagar Sessions Judge had convicted Bhatt for the offences punishable under sections 302, 323, 506 (1) read with sections 34 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Dismissed from service in 2015, Bhatt has been incarcerated since 2018. In March 2024, the Palanpur sessions court in Banaskantha district sentenced Bhatt to 20 years in jail for his involvement in a 1996 narcotics case. The trial court found Bhatt guilty of planting drugs to falsely implicate a Rajasthan-based lawyer in Palanpur, where Bhatt was serving as the Superintendent of Police at the time. Bhatt had arrested lawyer Sumersingh Rajpurohit under the NDPS Act, claiming that opium was found in his hotel room.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
1990 custodial death case: SC dismisses ex-IPS officer's bail plea
The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied bail to sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and also declined to suspend his sentence in connection with a 1990 custodial death case in Gujarat . The bench however directed that the appeal filed by him challenging his conviction and sentence, which is pending in the top court, be expedited. Dismissing his petition to suspend the sentence and grant bail, a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said, 'We are not inclined to enlarge the appellant on bail.' Justice Mehta, who wrote the judgment for the bench, said, 'The observations made herein are restricted to bail and will not impact the appeals of the appellant. The prayers sought for bail is dismissed and the hearing on the appeal is expedited.' Bhatt had moved the application in his pending appeal on which orders were reserved in February this year. The former IPS officer had claimed that he has remained incarcerated since his arrest in September 2018 without getting bail or parole for a single day. It was his case that the court failed to consider material contradictions in the prosecution case against him and claimed an acquittal. The Gujarat high court had dismissed his appeal in January last year. The bench had issued notice on Bhatt's appeal in August last year and had posted it for hearing along with appeals filed by two co-accused Shaileshkumar Pandya and Pravinsingh Jadeja, who were granted protection from surrendering in March this year. Prior to the high court judgment, a Jamnagar court had convicted Bhatt along with others for offences of murder under section 302 IPC and sentenced him to life term in prison. The custody death case against Bhatt dates to 1990 when he was Jamnagar district's newly appointed additional superintendent of police. Back then in Bihar, a person who was detained for his alleged involvement in a violence-related incident, had died in a hospital after his release. His brother alleged that he was physically assaulted in jail leading to his death. Bhatt, a 1988 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, was sacked in 2015 for 'unauthorised absence' from service.
Hans India
29-04-2025
- Hans India
SC rejects Sanjiv Bhatt's plea for bail, suspension of sentence in custodial death case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's plea seeking release on bail and suspension of sentence in a 1990 custodial death case. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was dealing with an appeal filed by Bhatt against the Gujarat High Court's judgment upholding the trial court's order of conviction and sentence of life imprisonment. It clarified that the dismissal of the instant plea for bail would not affect the hearing of the appeal on merits and directed expeditious hearing of the matter. Earlier, the Gujarat High Court had dismissed Bhatt's appeal against the conviction and sentence. "We are of the view that the trial court has not committed any error in passing the impugned judgment and therefore, no interference is required in the present appeals. We are of the view that prosecution has proved the case against the respective accused/convicts and hence, no interference is required in the impugned judgment and order passed by the Ld. Trial Court," a bench of Justices Ashutosh Shastri and Sandeep N. Bhatt had ruled. "We, also on our independent look, perusal and scrutiny of evidence, found that the conclusion arrived at by the learned trial judge in passing an order, impugned in this proceeding, is in consonance with material on record and in accordance with law and there is no element of perversity of any nature." In 2019, the Jamnagar Sessions Judge had convicted Bhatt for the offences punishable under sections 302, 323, 506 (1) read with sections 34 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Dismissed from service in 2015, Bhatt has been incarcerated since 2018. In March 2024, the Palanpur sessions court in Banaskantha district sentenced Bhatt to 20 years in jail for his involvement in a 1996 narcotics case. The trial court found Bhatt guilty of planting drugs to falsely implicate a Rajasthan-based lawyer in Palanpur, where Bhatt was serving as the Superintendent of Police at the time. Bhatt had arrested lawyer Sumersingh Rajpurohit under the NDPS Act, claiming that opium was found in his hotel room.
Mint
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Supreme Court rejects bail for ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Here's why…
A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta on April 29 rejected ex-IPO officer Sanjiv Bhatt's bail request in the 1990 custodial death case, PTI reported. The SC said there was 'no merit' in the bail or suspension of sentence plea, as per the report. Pronouncing the order, Justice Vikram Nath said, 'We are not inclined to grant Sanjiv Bhatt bail. The prayer of bail is dismissed. The hearing of appeal shall not be affected. The hearing of appeal is expedited.' Sanjiv Bhatt's plea against his conviction and life imprisonment is pending with the Supreme Court after he moved the apex court challenging the Gujarat High Court's January 2024 order dismissing his appeal. Then additional superintendent of police, Sanjiv Bhatt on October 30, 1990 detained about 150 people after a communal riot in Jamjodhpur town. The riot happened during a 'bandh' call oppsing the halt of late BJP leader LK Advani's 'rath yatra' for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. One of the detainees, Prabhudas Vaishnani, died in hospital after his release and his brother accused Sanjiv Bhatt and six other police officers of causing his death due to torture while under custody. The Gujarat HC has also upheald Sanjiv Bhatt's conviction under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with co-accused Pravinsinh Zala, as per the report. Further, the HC had also dismissed Gujarat government's appeal to enhance sentences of five other accused, who were acquitted of murder charges but convicted under Sections 323 and 506, it added. Sanjiv Bhatt was arrested on September 5, 2018, in another case where he is accused of falsely implicating a man for drug possession. The trial in the case is underway. He is also an accused in a case of alleged fabrication of evidence in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots cases along with activist Teesta Setalvad and former Gujarat director general of police RB Sreekumar. First Published: 29 Apr 2025, 12:29 PM IST
