The Punjab and Haryana high court has dismissed a petition filed by former Punjab director general of police Sarabdeep Singh Virk, seeking change in investigation officer in a case registered against him under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the transfer of the case outside state.
A bench headed by justice Daya Chaudhary pronounced the order on Virk's petition on Friday.
The FIR in the case against Virk was registered at the vigilance bureau police station in SAS Nagar on September 8, 2007. Virk was charged with indulging in private business by misusing his authority as a public servant and possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income running into crores. The FIR also mentioned that Virk purchased security equipment worth crores of rupees from one Anurag Saxena fraudulently.
Four IPS officers have been asked to probe Virk's case. Though two of them, Surinder Pal Singh and SK Asthana, were removed by the high court, the government itself had reviewed its decision of not assigning the probe to the third officer, PK Sinha. The last investigating officer was Paramraj Singh Umranangal. But during the pendency of the case, the state crime branch was responsible for the probe.
Virk had alleged that the investigation officers appointed in his case themselves did not have a clean service record. He had also pleaded before the court for transferring the trial out of the state, stating that he had no faith of transparent investigation and trial in the state.
The Punjab government had told the court earlier that investigation into the case was complete and the challan had already been presented before the Mohali trial court, and hence, there was no question of changing the investigation officer at this stage.
Virk had alleged that the investigation officers appointed in his case themselves did not have a clean service record. He had also pleaded before the court for transferring the trial out of the state, stating that he had no faith of transparent investigation and trial in the state.
The Punjab government had told the court earlier that investigation into the case was complete and the challan had already been presented before the Mohali trial court, and hence, there was no question of changing the investigation officer at this stage.
The high court had dismissed Virk's petition seeking quashing of the FIR on November 11, 2011.