New Delhi: Gujarat`s suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who is at loggerheads with the Narendra Modi government, on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the proceedings against him in a 1990 custodial torture case. Bhatt moved the apex court challenging the decision of the Gujarat High Court which has allowed framing of charges against him in the case after the state government had withdrawn an application for dropping of charges against him.
The case was listed for urgent hearing before a bench headed by justice P Satasivam but the court deferred the hearing after Bhatt`s counsel submitted that the High Court has extended the stay on framing of charges till November 21.
The case will be taken up by the apex court on November 18.
The High Court had, on October 10, rejected Bhatt`s plea challenging the order of the sessions court at Jamnagar to permit the state government to withdraw an application requesting that charges against Bhatt and other cops should be dropped. The government`s application was pending in courts since 1996.
The case pertains to custodial death case in 1990 when Bhatt was posted as Additional Superintendent of Police in Jamnagar. He had detained around 150 persons were during the communal riots in Jam Jodhpur town. One of those arrested Prabhudas Vaishnani died in hospital after being released.
PTI