Bhatt was held guilty of falsely implicating a Rajasthan-based lawyer by claiming, in 1996, that police had seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur where the lawyer was staying.

Bhatt was Banaskantha superintendent of police at the time.

The court also clarified that Bhatt has to serve the 20-year sentence consecutively, which means it will start after the end of the life sentence in the Jamnagar custodial death case.

Bhatt was sacked from the force in 2015 and has been behind bars since 2018.

Additional District and Sessions Judge J N Thakkar convicted Bhatt on Wednesday under relevant sections of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Indian Penal Code. The quantum of punishment was announced on Thursday.

Bhatt was also fined Rs 2 lakh and he will have to spend an additional year in jail if he fails to pay it, the judge said in his order.

The former police officer was held guilty under section 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury), 465 (forgery) and 120b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

He was also pronounced guilty under various sections of NDPS Act, including section 21 (possession of drugs), 27A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) and 58-2 (wilfully and maliciously giving false information to arrest someone or conduct search).

Bhatt’s lawyer SB Thakor told reporters his client will challenge the verdict in the High Court.

uttakarsh mishra, Rediff mail