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‘Offence serious’: CBI court denies bail to suspended SHO Jaswinder Kaur
Allegations levelled by her, of false implication, do not inspire any confidence, yet the materials on record do prima facie indicate her involvement, says court.
A special CBI court on Saturday dismissed the anticipatory bail application of suspended Jaswinder Kaur, who is accused in a graft case.
Stating that Kaur, being a public servant, has been charged with an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which is a serious crime, the court dismissed her application.
The CBI in its reply to the bail plea has sought her thorough custodial interrogation to unearth the “larger conspiracy”.
“At this point of time, when the investigation is in progress, very clinching and important material has been pointed out by the learned public prosecutor appearing for the CBI,” said Sushil Kumar Garg, special judge, CBI.
He observed that the telephonic conversation on record spoke for itself, subject to the verification of its authenticity in the course of the investigation. As on date, there is no reason for me to disbelieve the case put up by the complainant.
“It would be too far-fetched for this court to take the view that the accused, Jaswinder Kaur, has been falsely involved in the offence… the allegations levelled (by Kaur) do not inspire any confidence, yet the materials on record do prima facie indicate her involvement,” the court held.
The Manimajra SHO, along with an alleged conduit, Bhagwan Singh, was booked under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act on June 29 on charges of seeking Rs 5 lakh bribe from a Manimajra resident, Gurdeep Singh. Gurdeep had told the CBI that he had already paid Rs 2 lakh to Jaswinder for not lodging a cheating case against him and was to pay Rs 3 lakh more.
Fearing arrest, Kaur had filed an anticipatory bail application in the CBI court on Thursday.
SHO’S CONTENTION
Claiming false implication, Kaur had said that the amount recovered was actually compromise money and not bribe.
She had said that as part of the compromise done on June 21, Gurdeep was to refund Rs 28 lakh to one Randhir Singh, who had accused the former of duping him, his wife and one Narpinder Singh, all residents of Sangrur, on pretext of providing them government jobs.
A compromise document was signed by Gurdeep, Randhir, Narpinder, and the mediator, Bhagwan Singh, following which a DDR entry was made about this.
CBI’S RESPONSE
In its reply to the bail application, the CBI said the SHO took Gurdeep’s signatures under pressure on a blank paper and the compromise was written on it later.
One of the constables, Sarabjeet Singh, even revealed this in his statement before the judicial magistrate. The CCTV footage of Manimajra police station from June 21 corroborated Sarabjit’s statement.
The CBI also stated that Kaur “deliberately and intentionally absconded” despite being asked twice to join the investigation.
“She was informed in person by CBI team, which conducted search at her house in Zirakpur to join investigation at CBI Office, Sector 30A, on June 30. She was also informed telephonically in the morning of June 30, to attend the CBI office at 12pm. But she deliberately and intentionally absconded and did not join investigation in order to avoid confrontation with accused Bhagwan Singh,” the investigating agency said.
CBI stated that she even created false evidence in a DDR at the Manimajra police station that she had returned from CBI Office, Sector 30.
“If she was not having any role, she should have joined the investigation at the first instance, but she did not do so and in fact absconded,” the CBI stated.
