Hearing a plea filed by MLA Simarjit Singh Bains, a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rebel, regarding the 2009 case of assault on sub-registrar GS Benipal in which Bains is an accused, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the matter.
The CBI has been directed to file the investigation report in three months.
On June 19, 2009, a bunch of more than 40 people, alleged members of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and supporters of Bains, who was a municipal councillor at the time, had allegedly opened attack on sub-registrar GS Benipal at his office.
Besides, assaulting him and tearing off his clothes, the accused had also snatched his licensed revolver before fleeing.
The police had registered a case of attempt to murder and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Arms Act against Kawaljit Singh Karwal, also a municipal councillor and others. Three days later, Bains’s name was included as an accused and he was arrested.
Thereafter, a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police investigated the matter and filed a report against Bains. Later, another SIT was formed, following which the victim, GS Benipal, moved the Punjab and Haryana high court that ordered to initiate the trial on the basis of the first SIT’s report.
Bains had then challenged the orders before the Supreme Court, appealing it to mark an inquiry to some independent agency, as he had no faith in the state’s investigation agencies. The SC had then stayed the trial of the case.
{{/usCountry}}Bains had then challenged the orders before the Supreme Court, appealing it to mark an inquiry to some independent agency, as he had no faith in the state’s investigation agencies. The SC had then stayed the trial of the case.
{{/usCountry}}Hailing the Tuesday orders, Bains said he was being implicated in the case, and the SITs were dancing to the state government’s tunes.
“If the state government could implicate me in a forge case when I was a SAD supporter, it’s apparent what they could do when I independently contested the Lok Sabha elections against the SAD candidate,” said Bains.