Haryana: Prince murder case 2017: Police torture, evidence tampering case committed to special CBI judge

The initial investigation by the Haryana Police led to the arrest of a school bus conductor, Ashok Kumar. However, amidst widespread protests and the victim’s father’s plea to the Supreme Court, the Haryana government transferred the case to the CBI.

In a significant legal development, a special judicial magistrate of the CBI court in Panchkula, Anil Kumar Yadav, has committed a high-profile case against four Haryana police officers to the court of the special judge, CBI. This decision marks a major step forward in a case that has seen years of legal wrangling and public outcry. The accused cops—Narinder Singh Khatana (41), Birem Singh (60), Shamsher Singh (64), and Subhash Chand (62)—face grave charges of fabricating evidence and using torture to falsely implicate an innocent person in the 2017 murder of a seven-year-old school boy Prince.

The case dates back to September 8, 2017, when a seven-year-old student was found murdered at his Gurugram school. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The case dates back to September 8, 2017, when a seven-year-old student was found murdered at his Gurugram school. A case was registered under Section 302 of IPC, Section 25 of Arms Act and Section 12 of POCSO Act. The initial investigation by the Haryana Police led to the arrest of a school bus conductor, Ashok Kumar. However, amidst widespread protests and the victim’s father’s plea to the Supreme Court, the Haryana government transferred the case to the CBI.

The subsequent CBI investigation revealed a shocking conspiracy. The agency concluded that the Haryana Police had falsely implicated the conductor, allegedly coercing a confession through third-degree torture and fabricating key documents, including confessional statements and case diaries, to protect the real culprit. The CBI successfully secured the release of the conductor and filed a supplementary charge sheet against the four police cops in January 2021. CBI had booked them under various sections of IPC on September 22, 2017.

The legal journey was fraught with challenges. The Haryana government initially declined sanction to prosecute the officers, a decision that was challenged by the CBI in the Punjab and Haryana high court. In an order dated January 24, 2025, the high court set aside the government’s refusal, calling it “arbitrary,” and directed a fresh review.

However, in a pivotal move, the Panchkula court decided to take cognizance of the offenses without waiting for the sanction, citing a lack of official duty in the alleged crimes. The court’s order noted that the accused appear to have committed offenses including criminal conspiracy, fabricating evidence to secure a capital conviction (Section 194 IPC), and extortion of a confession through torture. Since the offense under Section 194 is exclusively triable by a special judge, the case has now been officially committed to the higher court. The accused, who are on bail, have been directed to appear before the Special Judge, CBI, Haryana at Panchkula on October 1.