Sippy Sidhu murder case: HC judge recuses from hearing Kalyani’s plea

Kalyani has filed the plea, seeking a stay on the proceedings before the special CBI judge and quashing of the February 4 order through which the murder case was committed for trial before the special judge

A Punjab and Haryana high court judge on Monday recused from hearing a plea from Kalyani Singh, daughter of Himachal Pradesh high court judge justice Sabina Singh, who is the prime accused in the 2015 Sippy Sidhu murder case.

Kalyani was arrested by CBI on June 15, 2022, and subsequently granted bail by the high court in September. (HT File Photo)

The high court bench of justice Deepak Sibal referred the matter to chief justice RS Jha for listing before an appropriate bench.

The plea has been filed seeking a stay on the proceedings before the special CBI judge and quashing of the February 4 order through which the murder case was committed for trial before the special judge.

As per Kalyani’s plea, CBI has not provided her with the copies of evidence cited against her. The plea also demand that evidence, including electronic one, collected by Chandigarh Police, which investigated the case initially, be provided to her.

National-level shooter and lawyer Sukhmanpreet Singh, better known as Sippy Sidhu, was shot dead at a park in Sector 27, Chandigarh, on September 20, 2015.

Sippy’s family has maintained that Kalyani murdered him as they had turned down her marriage proposal. Kalyani was arrested by CBI on June 15, 2022, and subsequently granted bail by the high court in September.

The CBI in its chargesheet has accused Kalyani of killing Sidhu after their relationship turned sour, citing direct evidence against her. “There is sufficient direct, documentary, electronic, oral and circumstantial evidence to substantiate the allegations against Kalyani Singh, who entered into a criminal conspiracy with an unknown person to kill Sippy Sidhu,” the CBI said in the chargesheet.