Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has approached the Supreme Court, challenging a Gujarat High Court order denying him relief by way of stay on criminal proceedings against him in a 1990 case of alleged police atrocity which had resulted in the death of one person.
Bhatt's lawyer I. H. Sayed confirmed that they have filed a special leave application (SLP) in the Apex Court against the High Court order, which was due to be heard in the last week of this month.
In December last year, Justice M. R. Shah had rejected Bhatt's petition seeking quashing of the order of Jamnagar court refusing to defer framing of charges against him in the two-decade old case.
The High Cpurt had said that there was no need to restrain the court from framing charges against Bhatt in the 21-year old case. The High Court while refusing to stay the criminal proceeding against Bhatt, however, observed that the framing of charges against Bhatt would be subject to outcome of his criminal revision application which the Jamnagar court would decide upon after hearing Bhatt and the prosecution.
On December 9, 2011, a fast track court of Jamkhambhalia taluka in Jamnagar rejected Bhatt's application seeking deferment in framing of charges against him.