Archive · 11 Dec 2025
SC rejects Bhatt's plea for suspension of 20-year sentence in 1996 drug case
A former police officer named Sanjiv Bhatt was sentenced to 20 years in jail for a case that happened in 1996.
He was accused of falsely saying that a lawyer named Sumersingh Rajpurohit had drugs in his hotel room.
The Supreme Court recently decided not to suspend Bhatt's sentence.
Bhatt has been in jail since 2018.
He had asked the court to stop his sentence temporarily, but the court said no.
The case started because the Rajasthan police said Rajpurohit was wrongly accused to make him give up a piece of land.
Bhatt was a superintendent of police in Banaskantha district in 1996.
The district police under him had arrested Rajpurohit claiming they had seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur town where he was staying.
The Supreme Court rejected Sanjiv Bhatt's plea for suspension of his 20-year jail sentence in a 1996 drug seizure case.
Bhatt was found guilty of falsely implicating a Rajasthan-based lawyer, Sumersingh Rajpurohit, in the drug case.
The incident occurred in Palanpur, Gujarat, where Bhatt was the superintendent of police at the time.
Bhatt has been in Palanpur sub-jail since his arrest in September 2018.
The Supreme Court had previously dismissed Bhatt's plea for transfer of the trial and imposed a cost of Rs 3 lakh on him for alleging bias.
- Who
- Sanjiv Bhatt, former IPS officer, and Sumersingh Rajpurohit, Rajasthan-based lawyer
- What
- Supreme Court rejected Bhatt's plea for suspension of 20-year jail sentence in a 1996 drug seizure case
- When
- The case dates back to 1996, and the Supreme Court's decision was made on Thursday
- Where
- The incident occurred in Palanpur, Gujarat, and the case was heard in the Supreme Court
- Why
- Bhatt was found guilty of falsely implicating Rajpurohit in a drug case to compel him to transfer a disputed property
- Person Involved
- Sanjiv Bhatt (former IPS officer)
- Case Year
- 1996
- Sentence
- 20 years in jail
- Location of Incident
- Palanpur, Gujarat
- Accused Person
- Sumersingh Rajpurohit (Rajasthan-based lawyer)
- Act
- NDPS Act
- Court Decision
- Supreme Court rejected plea for suspension of sentence
- Current Status
- Bhatt is in Palanpur sub-jail since September 2018
Sources
SC rejects Sanjiv Bhatt's plea seeking suspension of sentence in 1996 drug seizure case
SC rejects Sanjiv Bhatt’s plea seeking suspension of sentence in 1996 drug seizure case
SC Rejects Sanjiv Bhatt's Plea Seeking Suspension of Sentence in 1996 Drug Seizure Case
SC refuses to suspend 20-year sentence of ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in 1996 drug planting case
Supreme Court rejects plea former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt seeking suspension sentence 1996 drug planting case
Supreme Court rejects Sanjiv Bhatt’s plea for suspension of sentence in 1996 drug planting case
