On Wednesday, a Sessions Court in Gujarat's Banaskantha district delivered a verdict of guilt against former Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a case involving the planting of drugs, which dates back to 1996.

Following the conviction of Sanjiv Bhatt by Additional Sessions Judge N Thakkar, the case has been adjourned to Thursday for the announcement of the sentencing decision. Bhatt, who is currently incarcerated in connection with a custodial death case, was arrested in 2018 in relation to the drug planting incident.

The legal proceedings, governed by the Indian Penal Code and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), stem from an incident in 1996 involving the arrest of Rajasthan-based lawyer Sumer Singh Rajpurohit by the Banaskantha Police. Allegedly, drugs were discovered in his hotel room in Palanpur, leading to the initiation of the case.

At the time of the incident, Sanjiv Bhatt held the position of Deputy Superintendent of Police in Palanpur. Following his discharge from the case, Rajpurohit leveled accusations against Bhatt and other police officials, alleging that they had planted the drugs to falsely incriminate him. These allegations suggested that the actions were motivated by a property dispute and were aimed at harassing the lawyer.

Earlier this year, the Gujarat High Court rejected Sanjiv Bhatt's appeal challenging the conviction and life sentence handed down by a sessions court in Jamnagar. This case involved a custodial death incident dating back to 1990, during Bhatt's tenure as the additional superintendent of police in Jamnagar district.