Satya prakash
Tribune news service
New Delhi, December 3
On Thursday, the Supreme Court granted early bail to former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the murder case of Balwant Singh Multani in 1991, “considering the fact that the contested FIR has been presented by the brother of the deceased after a period of almost 29 years from the date of the incident. “
“We are of the opinion that the appellant (Saini) has filed an advance bail case,” said a court headed by Judge Ashok Bhushan, who on September 15 had granted him provisional protection against arrest.
It also took note of the fact that the crime of murder under Section 302 of the IPC was subsequently added to the case based on the statements of Jagir Singh and Kuldip Singh, who became approvers of the case.
However, the higher court asked Saini to hand over his passport and cooperate with the investigation. If arrested, the former Punjab DGP would be released on bail by providing a personal bond of 1 lakh rupees with two guarantees for the same amount, he said.
Multani, a junior engineer with the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation, was reportedly detained by the police in December 1991 after a terrorist attack against Saini that left three policemen dead. Saini was injured in the attack.
Saini’s troubles began in May when he was booked into a police station in Mohali along with six other people for the alleged kidnapping of Multani in 1991. The murder charge was added in August after two of the accused police officers spilled the beans.
The Court had reserved its verdict on November 17 after hearing the arguments of Saini’s chief defender Mukul Rohatgi and chief counsel Siddharth Luthra, representing the Punjab government.
Even during the hearing, the Hearing had questioned the need for custody of the accused after 30 years of the observed crime, which was prima facie inclined to grant advance bail.
The Punjab government had opposed Saini’s request. Giving defendants early bail at this stage would hamper the investigation, Luthra had argued.
Saini had transferred to the high court after the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 7 September dismissed his declaration of early bail.
Saini had alleged that the Punjab government was persecuting him because he had produced two indictments in which the Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder, was charged.
In a separate petition, Saini has also challenged an order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissing their request for annulment of the FIR in the case.
He is also facing trial at a CBI Special Court in Delhi along with three others for the alleged kidnapping and disappearance of the automobile businessman Vinod Kumar, his brother-in-law Ashok Kumar and their driver Mukhtiyar Singh in 1994.
