Co-accused withdraws bail plea

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 24

The co-accused in the Akansh Sen murder case withdrew his bail application today.

Meanwhile, the prosecution withdrew the application seeking call records of the complainant and two eyewitnesses in the case.

Akansh Sen, a nephew of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, was allegedly run over by a BMW car following a brawl in Sector 9 on February 9, 2017. Harmehtab Singh, alias Farid, grandson of erstwhile PEPSU Chief Minister Gian Singh Rarewala, and Balraj Singh Randhawa, a resident of Sohana, Mohali, are co-accused and prime accused, respectively.

On May 21, the prosecution had filed an application for seeking call records of the mobile phone numbers belonging to complainant Adamya Singh Rathore and two eyewitnesses Rajan Pupneja and Karamyog Singh Riar. The prosecution had argued that call records would prove the presence as Karamyog Singh Riar’s number was mentioned on the medical record.

During resumed hearing in the case on Friday, the defence counsel admitted that they don’t dispute the ownership of mobile numbers mentioned in the application. Following this, the prosecution withdrew the application seeking call records.

Prosecution’s advocate Terminder Singh said: “We filed the application that mobile numbers belong to the complainant and eyewitnesses Karamyog Singh Riar and Rajan Papneja. Since the defence has not disputed the ownership and medical record confirms that the phone number written in the document was of Karamyog Singh. So, the presence is proved.”

After the prosecution withdrew the application seeking call details, the defence also withdrew the bail application of Harmehtab, who was arrested on February 16, 2017, and has been in jail since then.

The case has now been listed for arguments on June 3 and 4.

Randhawa remained at large and he was declared a proclaimed offender on April 5, 2017.