On Tuesday, The Apex Court granted
interim protection from arrest to former Punjab director general of police
(DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in the 1991 alleged murder case of a junior engineer,
Balwant Singh Multani.
A bench of Justice Ashok
Bhushan, Justice RS Reddy & Justice MR Shah sought response from the Govt
of Punjab on Saini’s petition challenging the High Court of Punjab &
Haryana order refusing to grant him anticipatory bail in the case.
During the hearing, the bench
questioned Senior Lawyer Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the Govt
of Punjab, that what is the hurry in arresting Saini after 29 years of the
case.
Luthra replied that the Ex-DGP
having Z-plus security is absconding.
The bench posted the matter for hearing after 4 weeks & said that Saini is not to be arrested till further orders & he shall cooperate in the investigation.
On Sept 8, the HC had dismissed
Saini’s 2 pleas, including the one on anticipatory bail, observing that the
same cannot be allowed as there is every likelihood of him stifling fair
investigation & trial.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi
represented Saini, a 1982-batch Indian Police Service officer, who was booked
along with six others on May 6 at Mataur police station in Mohali for the
alleged kidnapping of Multani. The murder charge was invoked in August after 2
of the accused policemen turned approvers.
Multani worked with Chandigarh Industrial & Tourism Corporation (Citco) & was picked up by the police after a terrorist attack on Saini, who was then Chandigarh senior superintendent of police. Saini was injured in the attack & three policemen were killed. Saini retired in 2018 after 36 years of service.
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‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED CONSPIRACY’
Saini alleges that the case against
him is an example of “politically motivated conspiracy” by the Capt Amarinder
Singh-led Congress Govt in Punjab. He says he was granted bail by the trial
court after the registration of the FIR, hence, it should continue.
In 2008, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also registered a case against him that was later quashed by the Top Court. This is another argument put forward by Saini who added that when Covid-19 was at a peak, under “a politically motivated conspiracy, an FIR was registered against him on the same facts by the state machinery”.
Saini was part of the then
director-general of Police KPS Gill’s team that helped eliminate terrorism in
the state. His bail plea mentioned his outstanding service record.
The plea also said that after
abatement of terrorism in Punjab, the applicant has been involved in unearthing
scams & scandals. He served as head of the state Vigilance Bureau from 2007
to 2012 & during his tenure “a number of criminal cases were registered
against members of the political party, which is now in power in the state of
Punjab”.
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