Won't refer to individual report, Punjab's ex-DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya tells HC

Chandigarh, June 1

Punjab’s former DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that his reply to certain legal contentions raised before the Bench in the drugs menace case would be filed without reference to any aspect pertaining to his report submitted in May 2018.

Chattopadhyaya had submitted a “fourth report” in his “individual capacity” in a “sealed cover”. It was not signed by the other two members of the special investigation team (SIT) he was heading. This was in addition to three other reports by the SIT, which have already been opened by the Bench and forwarded to the state.

The Division Bench of Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan in March had made it clear that the legality of the individual report would be considered after hearing all entities involved in the matter.

As the suo motu case came up for the resumed hearing, Chattopadhyaya’s counsel pointed out that certain applications filed in the matter were not readily available. As such, affidavits could not be filed on his behalf to the applications.

Former DGP Suresh Arora, in one of the applications, had claimed that Chattopadhyaya chose to make “wild and baseless allegations” against him and IPS officer Dinkar Gupta “with a view to gain an unfair advantage” at the commencement of a professional race. Arora was seeking liberty to intervene and assist the court in the matter. The pleas had virtually raised objections to the validity and legality of the “individual report”. It was contended that the individual report filed without being signed by the other two SIT members was no report in the eyes of law.

Appearing before the Bench, the counsel for Arora and another advocate expressed reservation regarding the fact that the report dated May 8, 2018, given by Chattopadhyaya, had been kept in a sealed cover vide order dated March 28.