Punjab govt okays remission for cops out on bail

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 15

For the Punjab Government, a convicted cop, who has not spent even a single day in jail or has been incarcerated for even one month in jail, is eligible for pardon or special remission for immediate release.

Even poor financial condition, diseases like cancer and heart ailments, besides age-related health problems have been cited as reasons for seeking remission.

This has come up after a perusal of official documents regarding names and case details of 15 policemen, convicted of offences related to terrorism days and whose cases were sent for pardon/remission to the Union Home Ministry. Seven of the cops have not even completed one year of their sentence in jail. They were convicted of offences during the terrorism era between 1980 and 1993.

This is in a sharp contrast to the usual cases of criminals or terrorists who have spent years in jails.

Surprisingly, one of the cops recommended for release was convicted last year only. He is an 83-year-old former Inspector who was given a life sentence in September last year for kidnapping and murdering a youth in 1992. He has spent 11 months in jail so far.

Most interesting case is of a 63-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector who was sentenced to three-year imprisonment in March 2009 for kidnapping a youth in 1998. He has not been jailed ever and is on bail since then. As per the government recommendation, he should be released due to old-age problems and poor financial condition.

An ex-DSP, sentenced to three-year term in March 2013 for kidnapping, has spent just one month in jail. The 69-year-old has remained on bail. The government recommendation says he is suffering from age-related health problems.

Another case is of a retired Inspector who was convicted in December 2016 and sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment for criminal conspiracy in kidnapping and disappearance of a youth in October 1992. He has remained in jail for two months and four days only. He is presently on bail. The government recommended the release of 68-year-old cop due to poor financial condition.

Similar is the case of an ex-DSP sentenced to seven-year term. He has remained in jail for five months only. Two Inspectors convicted together for life in a November 1992 case have been recommended for release after spending five and ten months, respectively. The government reasoned that one of them aged 75 was suffering from cancer (final stage) while the other, aged 73, had a heart ailment.

Officials of the state Jails, Police and the Home Department which handled the remission applications at different levels refused to comment on the subject.

Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said he was not aware of the details of the cases.

Curious case of convicted cops 

• Most interesting case is of a 63-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector who was sentenced to three-year imprisonment in March 2009 for kidnapping a youth in 1998. He has not been jailed ever and is out on bail since then. 
• An ex-DSP, sentenced to three-year term in March 2013 for kidnapping, has spent just one month in jail. The 69-year-old has remained on bail. The government recommendation says he is suffering from age-related health problems.