The Gujarat High Court has dismissed two petitions filed by Shweta Bhatt, wife of former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, seeking first-class prisoner status and his transfer to another jail.
In a verbal order delivered by Justice H.D. Suthar on October 16, the court held that the petitions lacked merit, noting that the medical concerns cited were “general or anticipatory” and not backed by any credible medical report or complaint from Bhatt himself.
Sanjiv Bhatt, who is serving a life sentence in a 1990 custodial death case, is currently lodged at Rajkot Central Jail. The court referred to submissions made by the state government that Bhatt, 61, maintains an intense daily exercise routine spanning three hours — including yoga postures such as shirshasana, sarvangasana, and chakrasana — demonstrating fitness levels that “could put even a youngster to shame.”
The court further pointed out that Bhatt had not lodged any grievance regarding denial of medical treatment, physiotherapy, or doctor visits while in custody.
Addressing the plea for first-class prisoner facilities — which include a hospital bed, table, chair, reading lamp, and other items listed under Clause 1074 of the Bombay Jail Manual — the court ruled that such privileges cannot be granted based on “social status, family background, or past lifestyle.” Citing Supreme Court precedents, it stated that prisoner classification should not depend on “habit or superior mode of living,” but rather on objective parameters such as labour or remission entitlements.
The state government also noted that several senior officers, including IPS and IAS officers, have served jail terms in Gujarat without any such special classification.
The order comes in continuation of previous judicial findings, including a Supreme Court direction imposing a ₹3 lakh cost on Shweta Bhatt for making unfounded allegations against authorities.
