Update on Sanjiv Bhatt:

Sanjiv Bhatt’s bail petition came up for hearing in the Supreme Court today. He was represented by Kapil Sibal. Court issued notice to State Government of Gujarat and gave them 4 weeks time to reply. The case is now expected to be listed in the first week of May, 2019. That means, in all probability, Sanjiv won’t come out of jail until the end of elections.

Supreme Court is not concerned or alarmed about persecution of Sanjiv Bhatt at the hands of state. Instead of showing alarm and urgency to dispose of his bail application quickly, they chose to hide behind the procedure.

It is not the first time they were hearing his bail application. They had earlier rejected it on grounds that it should be first raised at the level of High Court. And now that High Court has rejected his bail application, they are giving another 4 weeks to the state to reply.

Sanjiv is languishing in jail since his arrest in September last year for allegedly framing a Rajasthan-based lawyer in a narcotics case in 1996. The Gujarat High Court had rejected his bail application on March 7th. Before this, a special trial court in Palanpur, Banaskantha district, had refused to grant him bail after the maximum 90 days of judicial custody.

It may be recalled that, in 2011, Sanjiv Bhatt had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court alleging that he was present in a meeting on February 27, 2002 held at Gujarat Chief Minister's residence in Gandhinagar, following the Sabarmati Express train carnage. He had alleged in the affidavit that in this meeting, CM Modi had told officers "to let Hindus vent their anger”. Since then, he is being persecuted by the state and it continues...

Wish this fascist regime is voted out in these elections and justice be done in this case.