Balwant Singh Multani murder case hearing put off till Feb

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 5

The Supreme Court today asked the state government to file a copy of the chargesheet against former DGP SS Saini as it put off the hearing on his plea for quashing the FIR against him in the Balwant Singh Multani murder case till second week of February.

Former DGP’s plea

• Ex-DGP SS Saini has challenged an HC order that had turned down his plea seeking quashing of the FIR and stay on further probe
• Multani, a junior engineer, was allegedly picked up by the police in Dec 1991 after a terror attack on Saini that left three cops dead

The top court has already granted anticipatory bail to Saini in the case, “considering the fact that the impugned FIR has been lodged by the brother of the deceased after a period of almost 29 years from the date of incident”. The former DGP has challenged a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that had turned down his plea seeking quashing of the FIR and stay on further investigation in the case.

On Tuesday, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Saini, urged a Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan to stay further proceedings in the case even as senior counsel Dushyant Dave opposed it on behalf of the complainant. Terming it a “very serious case” that involved charges of kidnapping and murder, Dave sought to highlight that the accused was facing certain other murder charges as well.

On behalf of the State of Punjab, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium and Vikas Singh informed the Bench that a chargesheet had been filed and summons issued to the accused.

The SC asked the state government to file a copy of the chargesheet along with additional documents after Subramanium and Singh said all facts and material should be placed before the court in view of the sensitivity of the matter. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing in the second week of February. Earlier, the matter was adjourned as the HC impugned order was not on record.