CHANDIGARH/KAPURTHALA: In mortification for the Punjab Police, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the Director-General of Police to constitute a special investigation team for probing the implication of a Kapurthala resident.
In his order, Justice M.M.S Bedi said, “An interim direction is issued that the Director-General of Police would constitute a special investigation team, consisting of at least one officer of the rank of SP from the Crime Branch to conduct and supervise the investigation being conducted in the FIR dated September 13, 2012, registered at police station Sadar, Kapurthala”.
The issue was brought to the notice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the victim himself. In his petition Neeraj Kumar and another petitioner said a case against the police officials was registered on the basis of a complaint by his Usha Rani.
Additional Sessions Judge, Kapurthala, vide his report dated September 25, 2000, gave a finding on inquiry that Neeraj Kumar had been implicated in a criminal case. The Judge gave the finding after Usha Rani reported the matter to the Administrative Judge on October 1, 1999.
The petitioner claimed that they have now been involved FIR number 102, dated September 13, 2012, under Sections 379, 420, 467, 468, 471, 473, 474 and 120-B IPC registered at police station Sadar, Kapurthala, in order to pressurize the petitioners not to appear as witnesses in the criminal case against the police officials in FIR number 46 of 2002.
Justice Bedi said the petitioners seek a fair investigating by an independent agency, claiming that they have been falsely implicated. Notice of motion to Punjab Advocate-General for February 15, 2013.
This is not for the first time allegations of implication have been leveled against Punjab Police. Accused of abetting suicide and allegedly implicated an Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) in a corruption case, the anticipatory bail application of Amandeep Kaur, Mohali Superintendent of Police (vigilance) was last month dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Amandeep Kaur had allegedly booked the ETO in a false case. ETO Ranjeet Singh had committed suicide days after he was arrested by a vigilance team headed by SP Amandeep Kaur on March 29, 2011, allegedly when caught accepting a bribe to release the goods of a trader.
Later, Kaur, head constable Harminder Singh, and three traders - Rajinder Singh, Rajiv Sood and Paramjit Singh - were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, abetment to suicide, criminal intimidation and misconduct, forgery and creation of false evidence.
A special investigation team headed by SP (D) Balwinder Singh, DSP Rajinder Singh Sohal, and SHO Gurdeep Singh was set up in August. Following the directions of the state government, an inquiry was conducted into the case by a team of two officers Mansavi Kumar and Harpreet Singh Sidhu.
In their report they had indicted the SP and others of abetment to suicide. Earlier, a lower court had dismissed the anticipatory bail application of the SP.
After being arrested by the vigilance team on March 29, Ranjit was released on bail by a court on April 20. Three days later, he committed suicide by consuming celphos pills at his Phase-II residence. His wife had filed a petition in the court stating that her husband was implicated in a false case which compelled him to commit suicide
