High Court grants bail to 4 in Kotkhai custodial death case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 25

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today granted bail to Surat Singh and three other accused police officials in the Kotkhai custodial death case. The High Court’s official website said that the plea stood allowed by Justice Amol Rattan Singh, though the order was yet to be uploaded.

Among other things, the Bench was told that the accused were in custody for more than three years. Appearing before the Bench, senior counsels Vinod Ghai and Jasdev Singh Mehndiratta during the course of arguments had contended that the petitioners were of the ranks of sub-inspector, assistant sub-inspector, head constable and constable. They added that a Superintendent of Police had been granted bail and they obviously were in no position to influence the witnesses.

Vehemently opposing the bail plea, CBI standing counsel Sumeet Goel had submitted before the court two lists. One was of the officials material prosecution witnesses, other than officials of the Himachal Pradesh police, likely to be influenced by the accused. The other was of material prosecution witnesses from the Himachal Police likely to be influenced.

The Bench was also told that senior IPS officer from Himachal Pradesh Zahur Haider Zaidi and another accused DW Negi were not physically present at Kotkhai police station on the fateful night of July 18, 2017. But all accused in custody and another accused Manoj Joshi were present at the police station. Zaidi continues to be in custory.

The case relates to the custodial death of a man, who was among those arrested on the allegations of gang-raping a minor schoolgirl at Kotkhai in Shimla district in 2017.

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