Bhatt again seeks relief from Guj HC in 1990 atrocity case

Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Tuesday approached the Gujarat High court once again, seeking a relief in the 1990 alleged police atrocity case, in which, one person had died and sought quashing of an order of Jamnagar court refusing to defer framing of charges against him.

Bhatt has also sought a stay on all court proceedings against him, in relation to the two-decade old case as an interim relief. The matter came up for hearing before Justice J C Upadhyay, who deferred it till tomorrow. On December 9, a fast track court of Judge N P Solanki of the Jamkhambhalia taluka in Jamnagar rejected application of Bhatt, seeking deferment on framing of charges against him. He has contended that his criminal revision application, filed earlier, was pending before the same court and till it is not heard and disposed off, charges should not be framed against him. The court rejected Bhatt's application and scheduled the next hearing on December 27, when the charges are likely to be framed against him and six other accused in the case.

 

Bhatt challenged the legality and validity of this order of the Jamnagar court and contented that the order was illegal, erroneous and contrary to the documentary evidences produced before the court. He has further alleged in his petition that court did not take into consideration his criminal revision application and plea for condonation of delay pending before the same court. He contended that once Jamnagar court goes ahead with framing of charges against him and other accused, his criminal revision application would become infructuous, which violates his right under Article 20 and 21 of Constitution of India. He contended that death of one person in the case was not homicidal, based on which, he has been alleged of murder.