‘False’ case: Gill panel for Rs 2-lakh relief to victim

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 21

Less than two months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court referred cases to the Justice Mehtab Singh Gill Commission of Inquiry for examination on “priority basis”, the panel has not only recommended payment of Rs 2-lakh compensation to a victim, but also registration of an FIR against the erring police officials.

In its report to the High Court, the panel asserted that a case was found to be false. As such, recommendation had been made to the state government to pay relief and register an FIR under Section 58 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, along with Sections 193 and 195 of the IPC against the defaulting police officials.

As the case came up for resumed hearing before Justice Kuldip Singh’s Bench, a deputy advocate-general on instructions from a police official added that the state had already filed a cancellation report. “The state is directed to take a follow-up action on the report of the commission, in accordance with law after following the rules,” Justice Kuldip Singh ruled.

Taking up the matter, Justice Kuldip Singh had initially asked Justice Gill’s panel to examine whether the petitioner was entitled to compensation for implication in the drugs case and if so, the amount of compensation. The commission was also asked to study whether a case was made out for the registration of an FIR against the defaulting police officials.

The case has its genesis in an FIR registered on January 3, 2015, under Section 22 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at the Bagha Purana police station in Moga district.

The Bench was told that a cancellation report had been prepared and was to be submitted to the court concerned. The counsel for the petitioner had added that he would press his claim for the registration of an FIR against the defaulting police officials and claim compensation, even after the preparation of cancellation report.

Taking a note of the submissions, Justice Kuldip Singh had asserted that the Punjab government had already constituted a commission of inquiry, headed by Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, to look into the cases of false implication during the Akali regime.

“In these circumstances, the commission was requested to look into the present along with the cancellation report prepared by the police and recommend as to whether the present petition is entitled to any compensation and if so, how much and whether any case is made out for registration of FIR against the defaulting police officials and if so against whom?” Justice Kuldip Singh had concluded.