A local court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to four retired policemen, booked along with former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in a case related to the disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani, a Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation (CITCO) employee, in 1991.
The court of additional district and sessions judge Monika Goyal also directed the accused -- sub-inspectors Har Sahai Sharma, Jagir Singh and Anoop Singh, and assistant sub-inspector Kuldip Singh -- to join investigation within seven days and furnish personal bail bonds of Rs 50,000 with one surety each.
They have been asked to surrender their passports and not to leave the country without prior permission of the court.
Saini has already joined investigations after getting anticipatory bail from the court last week.
“The case is more than 29 years old and the complainant kept mum for such a long time. The custodial interrogation of the applicants is not required,” the court ruled.
Defence counsel HS Dhanoa had contended that all the four cops had retired from Chandigarh Police with “unblemished carrier” of about 37-38 years.
The court in its order said, “Prima facie all the accused had acted as per law and conducted the proceedings in the FIR, but whether they were part of the bigger conspiracy, in which Balwant Singh Multani was picked up illegally and was afterwards eliminated is matter of evidence.”
{{/usCountry}}The court in its order said, “Prima facie all the accused had acted as per law and conducted the proceedings in the FIR, but whether they were part of the bigger conspiracy, in which Balwant Singh Multani was picked up illegally and was afterwards eliminated is matter of evidence.”
{{/usCountry}}The court also pointed out that since December 7, 2011 (when the Supreme Court dismissed the case against Saini), no action has been taken by any family member of the victim.
COURT QUESTIONS REGISTRATION OF FIR IN MATAUR
“The allegations against the applicants (accused retired policemen) pertain to their act and conduct at police station Sector 17, Chandigarh, or at police station Qadian, thus there are serious doubts regarding the jurisdiction of police station Mataur,” the court said.
Multani was allegedly picked up by two officers after a terrorist attack on Saini, then SSP, Chandigarh, in which four policemen in his security posse were killed. The police later claimed that Multani had escaped from the custody of Qadian police.
A case was registered under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to exhort confession) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) in Mohali on May 6 on the basis of a complaint filed by Multani’s brother Palwinder Singh Multani.
Former DGP Saini, former DSP Baldev Singh Saini, inspector Satvir Singh, then sub-inspectors Har Sahai Sharma, Jagir Singh and Anoop Singh, and then ASI Kuldip Singh were booked in the case.