Mohali: A special CBI court on Wednesday convicted former Tarn Taran SSP Gurmeet Singh Randhawa under Sections 365 (abduction with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for his role in the 1992 disappearance of transporter Amrik Singh Sakri.
Special CBI judge Dinesh Kumar Wadhwa acquitted co-accused constable Parminderjit Singh, granting him the benefit of the doubt.
The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Thursday.
Three other accused police personnel died during the 34-year legal proceedings.
1992 abduction
Sakri was picked up by a Tarn Taran police team on November 25, 1992, from Hotel Amaltas in Ludhiana during his niece’s wedding. He was never seen again. Despite appeals to senior police officials and then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, his family could not trace him.
In 1996, Sakri’s wife filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court. The Punjab government claimed Sakri had died, producing ‘bhog’ advertisements as evidence. The family disputed the claim, leading the Supreme Court to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into his disappearance and broader allegations of mass cremations of unidentified bodies by Punjab Police.
Protracted battle
{{/usCountry}}Protracted battle
{{/usCountry}}The CBI registered a case in February 2000 and chargesheeted five personnel in 2001: Then-DSP Gurmeet Singh, inspector Suba Singh, sub-inspector Surinder Singh, ASI Jaswant Singh, and constable Parminderjit Singh.
Former Tarn Taran SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu, named by the CBI as the primary conspirator, died during the investigation.
Though charges were framed in 2000, trial proceedings were stayed for over two decades following petitions by the accused officers. The trial finally commenced in 2022.
The case hit a roadblock when key evidence—including witness statements, wedding photographs, video footage, and police logbooks—went missing from court records. The documents were later reconstructed on orders from the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Of the 47 witnesses cited by the CBI, only 16 deposed as many passed away during the delay. Accused officers Jaswant Singh, Surinder Singh, and Suba Singh also died before the trial concluded.
Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka represented the complainant, while Anmol Narang appeared for the CBI.
Case timeline
November 25, 1992: Transporter Amrik Singh Sakri is abducted by a Tarn Taran police team from Hotel Amaltas in Ludhiana during his niece’s wedding.
1996: Sakri’s wife files a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court; the Punjab government claims Sakri is dead and submits ‘bhog’ notices, which the family disputes.
1997–2000: Supreme Court orders a CBI investigation into Sakri’s disappearance and broader allegations of mass illegal cremations by Punjab Police.
February 2000: CBI formally registers a regular case against the accused police officers.
2000: Charges are framed against the accused, but trial proceedings are subsequently stayed for over two decades by higher courts.
2001: CBI files its chargesheet naming DSP Gurmeet Singh Randhawa and four other police personnel; main conspirator SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu dies during the probe.
2000s–2021: Key prosecution evidence (photographs, videos, logbooks, and statements) vanishes from court records and is later reconstructed on Punjab and Haryana high court orders.
2022: The stay is lifted and the formal trial finally commences in the special CBI court.
November 11, 2026: Special CBI court in Mohali convicts former SSP Randhawa under IPC Sections 365 and 120B, acquits constable Parminderjit Singh, and abates trial against three deceased officers.
November 12: Scheduled date for the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence for Randhawa.