Chand Kaur murder case: HC notice to CBI on plea alleging slow pace of probe

The response has been sought by March 16

The Punjab and Haryana high court has put Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on notice on a plea alleging slow pace of probe into the murder of Namdhari sect matriarch, Chand Kaur.

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The high court bench of justice Arvind Singh Sangwan acted on the plea of Gursev Singh, resident of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and a sect follower. The response has been sought by March 16.

Chand Kaur, 88, was shot dead on April 4, 2016, by two unidentified bike-borne men at Bhaini Sahib, headquarters of the Namdhari sect near Ludhiana. Initially, the probe was conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) of Punjab Police, which failed to make any headway. Later, CBI registered an FIR on January 9, 2017.

The petition alleged the CBI has failed to crack the case even after three years. It also demanded that the state be directed to ensure life, liberty of the petitioner and his family.

The petition alleges the murder was result of a tussle to retain power and financial control within the sect.

The CBI had arrested Palvinder Singh alias Dimple, former driver of Thakur Dalip Singh, the head of Sirsa-based rival faction of Namdharis, in September 2019.