Overview
- Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi dismissed Bhatt’s suspension plea on December 11, declining to entertain the application.
- Kapil Sibal said Bhatt has served seven years and three months, while the bench referenced a high drug quantity as a factor for refusing relief.
- There is a dispute over quantity, with the court noting 5 kg and the defence asserting the conviction rests on 1.015 kg of opium.
- The Palanpur sessions court in March 2024 sentenced Bhatt to 20 years under NDPS Sections 21(c), 27A and related IPC provisions, along with a Rs 2 lakh fine.
- The Gujarat High Court had earlier rejected suspension and bail, and Bhatt also remains a life convict in a separate 1990 custodial death case after the Supreme Court refused to suspend that sentence.