No question of political interference in case against ex-DGP Saini: Capt Amarinder

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 7

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Thursday, rejected former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini’s allegation of political motivation in the registration of an FIR against him in a kidnapping case of 1991.

There was no question of political interference, said Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, asserting that the law would take its own course in the matter.

A police spokesperson said the case against Saini, in the matter of disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani, was filed purely on the basis of a fresh application by the victim’s brother, Palwinder Singh Multani, a resident of Jalandhar.

Also read: Former Punjab DGP Saini booked in kidnapping case; denied entry at Himachal border

Based on Multani’s complaint, the case was registered under Sections 364 (Kidnapping or abduction in order to murder), 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence), 344 (Wrongful confinement), 330 (Voluntarily causing hurt to exhort confession) and 120 (B) (Criminal conspiracy), in Mohali on Wednesday. The fresh complaint was received by the police on Tuesday.

The spokesperson disclosed that the complainant had cited Para 80 of the Supreme Court order of December 7, 2011, that it was “open to the applicants who had filed the petitions under Section 482 of the CRPC to take recourse to fresh proceedings, if permissible in law”.

The complainant, in his complaint, said the illegal acts of the accused persons “clearly disclose the commission of cognisable offences, as has also been established by the CBI during the preliminary enquiry and therefore it is the solemn duty of the police to lodge an FIR for the ghastly acts of the accused in terms of the specific directions of the Supreme Court in the case of ‘Lalitha Kumari v/s State of UP and others’.”

In his complaint, Palwinder said Balwant was picked up from his then residence in Mohali on December 11, 1991, and was taken to the police station in Sector 17, Chandigarh, under the orders of the then SSP Chandigarh, Sumedh Singh Saini, son of Romesh Chander Saini.

Despite all efforts to secure his release, the family failed to get him back, due to the “terror and influence of Sumedh Singh Saini,” said the complainant, adding that it was after Saini’s retirement that they gathered the courage to resume their efforts to fight for justice.

Finally, due to sustained efforts, a preliminary enquiry was conducted under the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which led to the registration of an FIR on July 2, 2008, under Sections 120(B), 364, 343, 330, 167 & 193 of the IPC by the CBI at Chandigarh.

However, the High Court’s order was challenged in the Supreme Court, which set aside the former’s orders on the ground that the bench of the high court, passing the order lacked jurisdiction to deal with the case, and as a consequence thereof, the FIR registered by the CBI was quashed only on technical grounds, the complainant pointed out.

However, he noted that the Supreme Court had given the family the liberty to take recourse to fresh proceedings, and also did not discuss and comment on the merits of the case.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.