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Ex-AIG Sidhu shoots son-in-law dead: HC directs victim’s uncle to appear before police today
Baljeet Kaur, the mother of Harprit Singh, who was murdered by his father-in-law, retired Punjab Police AIG Malvinder Singh Sidhu in the District Courts Complex, Sector 43, Chandigarh, claimed that there was serious apprehension of threat to her life and liberty, and to her family at the hands of Kuldeep Singh, his uncle
Taking cognisance of the protection plea by the mother of Harprit Singh, the ICAS officer who was murdered by his father-in-law, retired Punjab Police assistant inspector general (AIG) Malvinder Singh Sidhu, the Punjab and Haryana high court has directed his uncle Kuldeep Singh to remain present at the Sector-36 police station on Wednesday or his bail in a corruption case will be cancelled.
The directions were issued by the high court on Tuesday while hearing the bail plea of Kuldeep, a driver in the food and supply department and Sidhu’s co-accused in the corruption case.
The high court in May had granted him interim bail, noting that he wanted to demonstrate his honesty by filing an affidavit.
As the bail plea came up for hearing before the bench of justice Anoop Chitkara on Tuesday, Baljeet Kaur, 62, mother of Harpit, alleged that Kuldeep, who was paternal uncle of the deceased, was hand-in-glove with Sidhu.
Filing a protection plea, she claimed that there was serious apprehension of threat to her life and liberty, and to her family at the hands of Kuldeep. She alleged that Kuldeep was present in the District Courts Complex, Sector 43, when her son was shot dead by Sidhu.
On Saturday, Harprit, an Indian Civil Account Services (ICAS) officer with the Union ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare in Delhi, was present at the mediation centre in the court complex in connection with a matrimonial dispute with Sidhu’s daughter, when he was shot dead.
Kuldeep’s counsel on the other hand submitted that the allegations were false and that he was not present at the court complex concerned throughout the day.
However, the court said, “Without investigating the threat perception, in the larger interest of security to the mother of the deceased and her family, the following order is being passed. Petitioner is directed to remain present at the Sector 36 police station at 8 am on Wednesday.”
“If Kuldeep fails to appear before the police station tomorrow, the interim bail granted in the corruption case will be cancelled,” read the order, adding that if the investigator intended to arrest the petitioner in FIR registered under Section 103 (2) of BNS, this order will not come in their way.
The bail plea will now come up for hearing on August 7 for further consideration.
Ex-AIG sent to 14-day judicial custody
Meanwhile, a local court sent Sidhu to 14-day judicial custody until August 20. In a recent development, Sidhu’s defence counsel filed an application seeking the preservation of crucial CCTV footage related to the ongoing investigation.
The defence requested the court to direct the investigating officer to preserve CCTV footage from several key locations, including Advocate Parking Area, in front of Chamber Number 9-A, first and second floors of the Service Block, Raj Malhotra IAS Coaching Centre, Dainik Bhaskar Building, Sector 25 and his residence in Sector 35.
The footage in question covers the period from 9.30 am to 1 pm on August 3. The defence argued that these recordings were essential for investigation and to ensure justice. They aim to demonstrate that Sidhu was not accompanied by anyone else during the incident.
The application highlighted that Sidhu’s son had also been named in the FIR. The preservation of the CCTV footage was sought to establish Sidhu’s solitary presence and support his defence.
