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Gujarat man who wanted to withdraw case against Sanjiv Bhatt changes his mind
Mahesh Chitroda filed a private complaint in court in 1992, accusing Sanjiv Bhatt and others of custodial torture in Jamkhambhaliya police station of Jamnagar district in October 1990
AHMEDABAD: Mahesh Chitroda, who accused former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt of custodial torture in 1990 and told the Gujarat high court on Tuesday that he wanted to withdraw the case, changed his mind again. In an affidavit filed on Thursday, Chitroda told the high court that he has revised the decision to withdraw the case as it would have been “inappropriate”.
Chitroda’s advocate Vijay H Patel told the high court bench of justice Nikhil Kariel on Tuesday that his client intended to withdraw the complaint against Bhatt. The judge, who was hearing a request by Bhatt to cancel the case, told Chitroda to make the request on affidavit by Thursday. But Chitroda changed his stand.
“I discussed my decision with my family members and realised that it was inappropriate. I now intend to withdraw my instruction about withdrawal of my complaint,” according to the affidavit filed by Chitroda.
The judge told lawyer Vijay H Patel that such kind of behaviour “should not go without repercussion”.
Chitroda filed a private complaint in court in 1992 against Sanjiv Bhatt and others accusing them of custodial torture in Jamkhambhaliya police station of Jamnagar district in October 1990. They were among the 133 people rounded up by the police after riots broke out. Bhatt was then posted as additional superintendent of police.
Chitroda along with two others, Ravjibhai Harjibhai and Chetan Jani, alleged custodial torture in connection with the same incident in which one of the detainees, Prabhdas Vaishnani, succumbed to his injuries. Bhatt was convicted in this case and is serving life imprisonment in this case.
