The Gujarat high court termed the alleged planting of opium in a Palanpur hotel to frame a Rajasthan-based lawyer and thus force him to vacate a shop in Pali a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. While granting 10-day remand of former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and the then Palanpur police inspector I B Vyas in the 22-year-old narcotics case, the HC made certain observations which may prove to be a setback for the accused police officials.
Justice R P Dholaria said in his order , “On overall consideration of the matter, this court is subjectively satisfied that the incident of planting opium at Lajvant Hotel in Palanpur is a deep-rooted conspiracy wherein clear involvement of the respondents and others is clearly emerging and therefore for unearthing deep-rooted conspiracy, a special team came to be constituted by the order of this court at the behest of the respondents themselves.” The advocates representing Bhatt and Vyas were opposing the demand for custodial interrogation on the grounds that the case in Palanpur is no different to the one registered in Pali by advocate Sumersingh Rajpurohit, who was arrested in a drug peddling case in 1996.
They argued that multiple investigations are not permitted for one offence. However, the HC discarded the argument and observed, “This court is subjectively satisfied that this case is totally distinct and separate, and a separate crime has been registered and the complainant himself has been turned out to be the accused in the present case registered at Palanpur police station.” Bhatt and Vyas were arrested last week by CID (crime) on a high court order for further investigation in the two-decade-old FIR, which was filed by Vyas. It was Vyas along with then sitting HC judge R R Jain who had demanded an investigation by the CBI in this case.
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