2017 GRAFT: DIG DENIES SANCTION TO PROSECUTE SUSPENDED SHO

CHANDIGARH: STATING that “no substantive evidence” has been placed on record by the investigating agency – the CBI, the UT deputy inspector general has refused to grant sanction to prosecute suspended SHO Jaswinder Kaur in a 2017 graft case.

A special CBI court on Tuesday adjourned the case to August 5. Currently in judicial custody, the graft-tainted inspector had surrendered before a Chandigarh court on July 25 in another Rs 5 lakh graft case from May this year.

In October 2017, sub-inspector (SI) Mohan Singh was arrested for accepting Rs 2 lakh in bribe, allegedly on the directions of the then Sector 31 SHO, Jaswinder Kaur. Prem Singh Bisht, the complainant, had alleged that the SI, who was the investigating officer in an attempt to murder case, demanded Rs 9 lakh to drop the names of three of his employees from the FIR. The case was closed against Kaur for want of evidence against her.

COMPLAINANT HAD MOVED PETITION

In 2019, Bisht had moved an application to declare Kaur an accused in the case, followed by another application in February 2020, where he stated he was being pressured by the SHO.

Taking cognizance of the applications, the court had directed CBI to place before the sanctioning authority (SSP, Chandigarh) all evidence, so that the authority could apply its own mind whether to give sanction for prosecution.

Responding five months from the date of order – February 13, DIG Omvir Singh Bishnoi stated that he had gone through all documents and was of the view that the “perusal of chargesheet also reveals that after laying the trap, accused Mohan Singh did not disclose that bribe was obtained by him on behalf of Jaswinder Kaur and he even refused to make call to her.”

He added, as per chargesheet filed, there is no evidence regarding direct demand of bribe by Kaur or on her behalf and even in the contents of the application moved by Bisht, “no new fact has been brought into light”.