Murder case: HC summons CBI officer over closure report

CHANDIGARH: Less than a month after the Punjab and Haryana High Court expressed its intention to examine whether the CBI’s action of submitting a closure report in a murder case — during the pendency of a petition before the Bench — amounted to contempt, Justice Rajan Gupta has summoned an SP of the investigating agency.

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 27

Less than a month after the Punjab and Haryana High Court expressed its intention to examine whether the CBI’s action of submitting a closure report in a murder case — during the pendency of a petition before the Bench — amounted to contempt, Justice Rajan Gupta has summoned an SP of the investigating agency.

In a July 2015 verdict, the probe had been handed over to the CBI after Justice Gupta observed that none of the accused was subjected to custodial interrogation even two years after the incident.

The case was registered in July 2013 after Balbir Kaur was allegedly set on fire in Tarn Taran. Dubbing the probe as shoddy, Justice Gupta had taken a note of the fact that two of the accused, both government servants, were given the clean chit on the ground of being in office at the time of occurrence, though the incident had taken place at midnight.

“There has been a consistent effort on the part of the police to avoid the case being sent up for trial despite the dying declaration of the prosecutrix recorded by a Magistrate,” Justice Gupta had observed.

As the petition came up for resumed hearing on the issue of its implementation, Justice Gupta observed that instead of filing a status report, the CBI had gone a step ahead and filed its final report before a Patiala court. “… the investigation has already been completed and the closure report submitted before the Judicial Magistrate on January 23. It is inexplicable why this fact was concealed from this court.”

Taking up the matter again, Justice Gupta said CBI DSP Davinder Singh, who conducted the inquiry, was present. However, clear answers were not forthcoming to the court’s queries.

“CBI advocate Sumeet Goel submits he may be given an opportunity to file an affidavit of the competent officer…. Needful be done within two weeks. The SP of the branch concerned may seek instructions from the DIG range and attend the court on the next date of hearing along with relevant record to answer the queries,” Justice Gupta concluded.