Multani disappearance: Former DGP Saini gets 2-day interim relief from arrest

MOHALI:A district court in Mohali on Tuesday granted two-day interim protection from arrest to former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini in the case involving the disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani, a Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation (CITCO) employee.

The relief was granted by additional district and sessions judge Sanjay Agnihotri who was duty judge in the absence of designated court of additional district and sessions judge Rajnish Garg.

Saini is facing arrest after the

SIT probing the case added Section 302 of the IPC to the FIR registered against the former DGP when two of his co-accused turned approvers claiming to be eyewitness to the inhumane torture given to Multani at the behest of Saini, then Chandigarh senior superintendent of police.

In the previous orders, Garg had directed the SIT to give threeday prior notice to Saini before arresting him in the wake of addition of the murder charges. Saini filed an application seeking anticipatory bail before the notice ended at 6pm on Monday.

The state through its special public prosecutor Sartej Singh Narula had opposed the bail plea. Narula said, “I had submitted that the duty judge cannot pass any interim order when he was not competent to hear the case on merit as it is has been assigned to Rajneesh Garg. Instead of passing any order of interim anticipatory bail, the court just extended the protection given earlier.”

Earlier, two former UT cops —Jagir Singh (inspector) and Kuldep Singh (ASI) who were named as co-accused along with Saini — became approvers and were granted pardon in the case. Another person, Rajesh Raja, who was in the lockup along with Multani, also became approver.

Multani was allegedly picked by two officials in 1991 after a terrorist attack on Saini, in which four cops deputed in his security were killed. The police later claimed that Multani had escaped from police custody in Qadian.

Former DSP Baldev Singh, Satvir Singh (ex-inspector), Har Sahai Sharma, Anokh Singh (ex-si) besides Jagir and Kuldip Singh were named in the case.