Custodial death case: SC dismisses bail plea of suspended Himachal top cop | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Custodial death case: SC dismisses bail plea of suspended Himachal top cop

Jun 15, 2021 03:01 PM IST

Zahur Haider Zaidi has been incarcerated for his involvement in a custodial death case registered in 2017

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain the bail plea of suspended Himachal Pradesh Inspector General of Police Zahur Haider Zaidi.

Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Representational image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Zaidi has been incarcerated for his involvement in a custodial death case registered in 2017.

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The bench of justices Indira Banerjee and MR Shah took a dim view of the fact that Zaidi’s bail had to be cancelled in January 2020, after a Superintendent of Police (SP) stated before the Central Bureau of Information (CBI) court that she was being pressurised by him in an attempt to influence the trial.

“If you can try to influence an IPS rank officer, what will happen to other ordinary witnesses in the case? We cannot lose sight of this fact against you,” said the bench, as it refused to grant bail to Zaidi.

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Zaidi, a 1994-batch Himachal Pradesh Cadre IPS officer, is lodged in Chandigarh’s Burail Jail at present. He is facing a trial at the Chandigarh CBI court for the alleged custodial death of a man accused of participating in the gang rape and murder of a minor girl at Kotkhai, Himachal Pradesh, in 2017.

In July 2017, following the directions of the Himachal Pradesh high court, the case was transferred to the CBI. The CBI booked nine policemen, including Zaidi, and filed the chargesheet. However, in November 2018, the accused moved the Supreme Court, seeking a transfer of the case from Shimla to any other state for the trial.

In April 2019, the top court transferred the custodial death case to the Chandigarh CBI court from Shimla. It also granted bail to Zaidi on the condition that he would not try to influence witnesses or tamper with the evidence.

But in January 2020, SP Soumya Sambasivan, who was a witness for the prosecution in the case, showed up before the trial court, contending Zaidi was trying to pressurise her to change her statement and to depose in his favour. Subsequently, the CBI court cancelled his bail.

Later, Zaidi sought interim bail citing the Covid-19 outbreak, but the Chandigarh CBI court and the high court of Punjab and Haryana dismissed his plea, prompting him to approach the Supreme Court for the bail.

The case

On July 4, 2017, a minor girl went missing after school hours from Haliala forest at Kotkhai. Her naked body was found in the forest on July 6 and the post-mortem report confirmed rape. An FIR was registered at Kotkhai PS, and a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to probe the rape and murder. Zaidi was made to head the SIT.

The SIT, on July 13, 2017, arrested one Suraj Singh, along with four others, for allegedly committing the crime. However, on the night of July 18, Singh died in custody after allegedly being tortured by the SIT. In less than a week, the high court handed over the investigation to the CBI.

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