Notorious criminal, policeman get five years in jail

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 20

A local court has sentenced notorious criminal Rajan Bhatti, alias Rajbir, and Head Constable Harbans Lal to five-year imprisonment in a case of escape from the District Courts here while being produced for a hearing.

Bhatti is already undergoing a five-year jail term in an attempt to murder case, which was pronounced in February 2017, and the court stated that the sentence in this case would begin after the one for murder bid ended. 

While Bhatti was found guilty of escaping from the police custody, Harbans Lal was found guilty under Section 222 (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of a public servant bound to apprehend a person under sentence or lawfully committed) of the IPC. The duo has also been directed to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 each. 

Three accused were acquitted in the case, while one accused, Poonam, alias Dolly, is a proclaimed offender. The three who have been acquitted are Sunny Sharma, Shubham and Rajbir Singh. A case was registered in October 2016 against all accused under Sections 222, 224, 225 B and 120 B of the IPC.

According to the police, on October 14, 2015, Rajan Bhatti was to be presented in a court in a rape case in which he was later acquitted. After the hearing, the head constable took him to have tea in the area behind the advocates’ chambers. Bhatti then pushed Harbans Lal and climbed the rear wall of the court complex and fled in a car that was waiting for him there.

 Harbans Lal was accused of not giving information to the PCR and his officers on time. Harbans Lal was booked for negligence.

Escaped fearing fake encounter: Bhatti

While pleading leniency, Rajan Bhatti told the court that he escaped because he feared being a victim of a fake encounter by the police. He said his cousin Sukha had already been a victim in Phagwara. Harbans Lal asked the court to award him lesser sentence as his daughter’s wedding had been fixed for October. He said being denied any benefits because of the case after 26 years of service was the biggest punishment.