Supreme Court imposes ₹10,000 costs on Sanjiv Bhatt for 'frivolous' appeal challenging Gujarat High Court order in drug-planting case

The Supreme Court on Monday imposed costs of ₹10,000 on former IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt for challenging a Gujarat High Court order directing completion of trial in a case against him by March 31, 2023. [Sanjivkumar Rajendrabhai Bhatt vs State of Gujarat].A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Aravind Kumar said that Bhatt could have cooperated with the trial court for expeditious disposal and that the grant of extension for completion of trial is a matter for the trial court to decide. Hence, the apex court found the plea to be absolutely frivolous and imposed costs.."The Petitioner rather than approaching this Court ought to have cooperated with the trial court for expeditious disposal of proceedings. The grant of extension of time is a matter between the trial court and the High Court. We find this petition to be totally frivolous and without substance. The same is, accordingly, dismissed with costs quantified at ₹10,000/- are imposed," the Court ordered..The Supreme Court was hearing a petition by Bhatt challenging a Gujarat High Court order directing completion of a trial in connection with a 22-year-old drug-planting case, by March 31 this year.Bhatt is in detention in relation to that case..Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat for Bhatt informed the Court that out of 60 witnesses in the case, only 16 have been examined till now. He contended that if the trial has to be concluded by March 31, there would be no time for defence to present its arguments. Hence, he sought an order allowing the trial judge to apply for extensions in the case..For the State of Gujarat, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh informed the Court that an earlier appeal against the High Court order had been dismissed by the Court and that Bhatt suppressed the same..Kamat then submitted that such alleged suppression was not deliberate. However, the Court found the submission difficult to believe.." ... we do not find that there was any cause for the petitioner to have approached this Court by filing a special leave petition. Though, Shri Devadatt Kamat, submits that non-mentioning of the order passed in the Special Leave Petition (Crl) No.8615/2021 is not deliberate but inadvertent, it is difficult to believe that such an important omission was inadvertent and not deliberate", the Court said..Hence, it dismissed the petition with costs to be deposited with the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority..The top court is also seized of the former cop's plea seeking permission to produce additional evidence in the Gujarat High Court before the High Court begins final hearing in his appeal against conviction in a custodial death case.Bhatt is known for being a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi-led government. Prior to his dismissal from service, he had filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court alleging that the Modi-led Gujarat government had a complicit role in the 2002 Gujarat riots.He was dismissed from service by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015 on grounds of unauthorised absence from service..[Read order]