Kotkhai custodial killing case: HC grants bail to former Himachal IGP Zaidi
The IPS officer had moved high court in August 2022. This was the fourth bail plea filed by Zaidi since his bail was cancelled in January 2021 by CBI special judge, Chandigarh
A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Friday granted bail to suspended former Inspector General of police (IGP), Zahur H Zaidi in the 2017 Kotkhai custodial killing case of Himachal Pradesh.
The IPS officer had moved high court in August 2022. This was the fourth bail plea filed by Zaidi since his bail was cancelled in January 2021 by CBI special judge, Chandigarh. Initially, Zaidi was granted bail by the Supreme Court in April 2019. However, the CBI court cancelled the bail in January 2020 after prosecution witness and IPS officer Soumya Sambasivan’s statement that she had been pressured by him in an attempt to influence the trial.
The custodial killing case is an offshoot of the rape and murder of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in the Kotkhai area of Shimla district. Initially, the Himachal Police arrested six men in the case, one of whom was later found dead at the Kotkhai Police Station in July 2017. Subsequently, a case of custodial killing was lodged against the cops. After widespread criticism of the police’s handling of the case, it was handed over to the CBI and transferred to Chandigarh in May 2019.
The detailed order is awaited. However, senior advocate, Vinod Ghai, who appeared for Zaidi confirmed that the IPS officer has been granted bail. He has been told not to influence the witnesses and that he would not leave Uttar Pradesh, a state from which he hails. As per lawyers, out of 64 prosecution witnesses against him, only 15 have been examined so far. Other senior officers, then SSP, Shimla, DW Negi and then DSP, Manoj Joshi are already on the bail. Local cops of the area, former Kotkhai station house officer (SHO) Rajinder Singh and cops Surat Singh, Mohan Lal and Rafiq Ali, Ranjit Streta and Deep Chand have also been granted bail.
