Today, the Gujarat High Court rejected Sanjiv Bhatt's appeal, a former Indian Police Service officer, against his conviction and life imprisonment sentence by the Jamnagar Court. The case revolves around an alleged incident of custodial torture and death dating back to 1990.

In November 1990, the death of Prabhudas Madhavji Vaishnani was linked to alleged custodial torture. Sanjiv Bhatt, then serving as the Assistant Superintendent of Police Jamnagar, was involved in detaining approximately 133 individuals, including Vaishnani, on charges of rioting during a Bharat Bandh.

Vaishnani, detained for nine days, passed away ten days after being released on bail. Medical records indicated renal failure as the cause of death. After his death, an FIR was filed against Bhatt and several other officers on charges of custodial torture.

The cognizance of the case was taken by the Magistrate in 1995.

However, the trial was put on hold until 2011 due to a stay granted by the Gujarat High Court. Subsequently, the stay was lifted, allowing the trial to proceed.

In June 2019, a Sessions Court in Jamnagar district of the state pronounced Bhatt and a police constable, Pravinsinh Zala, guilty under sections 302 (murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (1) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the case.

In addition to Bhatt and Zala, police constables Pravinsinh Jadeja, Anopsinh Jethva, and Kesubha Dolubha Jadeja, along with police sub-inspectors Shailesh Pandya and Dipakkumar Bhagwandas Shah, were also held accountable for custodial torture. They were convicted under Sections 323 and 506 (1) of the Indian Penal Code.