A Patiala court on Wednesday held an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) guilty of framing a head constable in a fake drug case.
Additional district and sessions judge Parminder Singh Grewal convicted ASI Hans Raj, who was also the investigation officer in the case, under section 58 (punishment for vexatious entry, search, seizure or arrest) of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Act (NDPS) Act-1985.
The punishment under the section 58 is imprisonment up to six months or fine of Rs 1,000 or both. After convicting Hans Raj, the court, through his counsels, admitted a plea of relaxation and gave him an option of paying a fine of Rs 1,000 or imprisonment of two months. The ASI immediately paid Rs 1,000. The court has also asked the director general of police to initiate departmental proceedings against the ASI, who is believed to have framed head constable Amrik Singh due to an old enmity. The ASI was himself the complainant in the case and showed that he had arrested the head constable on a ‘tip- off ’ from sources.
The case, however, fell flat in the court as the defence counsel proved that the ASI was not present at the place from where the arrest was shown. The ASI had shown that he had arrested Amrik from Rahoti bridge on Nabha road. However, his call details revealed that he was present in Patiala and nearby villages at that time.
In the FIR, the ASI didn’t mention that Amrik Singh was a cop though the latter had worked with him in Sangrur. Also, in the arrest memo, the ASI showed that a Zen car was being driven by Amrik Singh when he was arrested. However, the car recovered was actually a Maruti 800.
{{/usCountry}}In the FIR, the ASI didn’t mention that Amrik Singh was a cop though the latter had worked with him in Sangrur. Also, in the arrest memo, the ASI showed that a Zen car was being driven by Amrik Singh when he was arrested. However, the car recovered was actually a Maruti 800.
{{/usCountry}}In his plea, the head constable had said the ASI was nursing a grudge against him as he had refused to do a ‘special favour’ to him while he was posted as a reader to a DSP.