Sippy murder case: Kalyani Singh alleges torture by CBI during interrogation
Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Chandigarh, November 21
The Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Chandigarh, has issued a notice to the CBI for filing a reply on the application moved by Kalyani Singh, an accused in the murder of Sukhmanpreet Singh Siddhu @ Sippy Sidhu, seeking directions to the CBI to preserve the videography or audiography of the interrogation conducted by the agency during her remand period from June 15, 2022 to June 21, 2022.
In the application, Kalyani alleged that during her police remand for six days, she was interrogated in the room of the DSP, inspectors among others. She was subjected to all kinds of force and verbal as well as physical abuse throughout her interrogation. She alleged that she was also subjected to intimidation and intemperate psychological and verbal abuse in order to compel her to admit to the commission of crime.
Kalyani said in view of this she wanted the preservation of the CCTV footage/videography/audiography of the CBI office/Sector 30 police station, Chandigarh, where the applicant was subjected to torture in the name of interrogation.
In the application, she also quoted a judgment of the Supreme Court dated April 3, 2018 passed in Shafhi Mohammad V/S State of Himachal Pradesh case in which it was directed that a Central Oversight Body (COB) be set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to implement the plan of action with respect to the use of videography in the crime scene during the investigation. The government also directed to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment in the office of the CBI, etc. It has been directed in Special Leave Petition (Criminal) that CCTV footage be preserved for a certain minimum time period, which shall not be less than six months and the victim has the right to have the same secured in the event of violation of human rights.
She alleged that she was interrogated and subjected to inhuman torture at off-times, normally past midnight, i.e. from 9 am on one day to 1 am of next day during the period from June 15, 2022 to June 20, 2022, that amounts to serious violation of her human rights.
Kalyani has also moved another application before the court for merging the supplementary final report, filed under Section 173(8) of the CrPC with the final report submitted by the CBI in 2021. The court has also sought reply from the CBI by next date of hearing fixed for November 30.
Meanwhile the court has allowed the CBI to file a detailed reply on an application filed by Kalyani under Section 207 of the CrPC for supply of deficit and legible copies of documents/records attached with the supplementary final report under Section 173 of the CrPC.
Sippy Sidhu, an advocate, was shot dead in a park in Sector 27 here on the night of 20 September 2015.
