E-Paper
Multani disappearance case: Give 3-day notice to Saini before adding murder charges in FIR, Mohali court tells police
Dismissing the interim bail granted to him by the previous judge Monika Goyal, in anticipation of murder charges, the court of additional district and sessions judge (ADJ) Rajnish Garg termed it as premature.
In a relief to Punjab’s former director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in the Balwant Singh Multani disappearance case, the court of additional district and sessions judge (ADJ) Rajnish Garg told the police to give three-day notice to the former top cop before adding murder or other criminal charges in the FIR against him.
Dismissing the interim bail granted to him by the previous judge, in anticipation of murder charges, ADC Garg termed it as premature.
Special public persecutor Sartej Singh Narula had, in the previous hearing, argued that the former judge had ignored the facts and gravity of the offence and granted the bail in a “blanket manner”.
After Friday’s hearing, Narula said, “We are quite satisfied now. We will contest the anticipatory bail if Saini applies for it after the police add Section 302 (murder) of IPC or any other criminal charge in the FIR.”
Multani, an employee of the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation, was allegedly picked up by two officers in 1991 after a terrorist attack on Saini, the then Chandigarh SSP. Four cops in his security posse had been killed in the attack. Police later claimed that Multani had escaped from the custody of the Qadian police. The case was registered against Saini on May 6 this year. Multani’s brother, Palwinder, who is the complainant in the case, had filed for transfer of the case from the court of ADJ Monika Goyal citing unfair and biased trial.
