Give one week’s notice before arrest, HC tells Punjab on Saini’s plea
If the former Punjab DGP is to be arrested in any case registered for the time period of his service, he should be given 7-day notice, but it will not apply in Multani disappearance case
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday directed the Punjab government to issue a notice of seven days to former director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini, if the state contemplates to arrest him in a criminal case.
The order was passed by the bench of justice Arun Kumar Tyagi on a fresh application moved by Saini in a 2018 petition. “The earlier order has been modified to the extent that if he is to be arrested in any case registered for the time period of his service, he should be given seven-day notice,” said senior advocate Vinod Ghai, who appeared for Saini. However, this condition will not apply in the case of Balwant Singh Multani disappearance case, where he is already on bail granted by Supreme Court on September 15.
In his fresh plea, Saini demanded that the interim order passed in October 2018 be extended to his entire service record as the state’s agencies are “hell bent on implicating” him. If he appears before the police in the 1991 Multani disappearance case, there is apprehension that he will be arrested in some other case, Ghai had told the court.
In October 2018, the high court had denied him blanket bail, but asked Punjab to give one week’s notice to Saini, in case he is to be arrested in a criminal case pertaining to the period when he served in the vigilance department and other important positions thereafter. The order was extended twice but after the covid-19 outbreak, the plea could not be taken up.
Wednesday’s order covers any FIR registered by the police against Saini for any incident during his entire service period. However, it has been granted till next date of hearing on October 8, by when the state has to respond to his plea.
In the October 2018 petition, Saini demanded that directions be given to the state to get the probe done by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the event of any FIR against him since he fears false implication due to “mala fide and ulterior motives” on the part of the political party in power in Punjab.
He had also demanded that he should not be arrested in any criminal case. During his stint as head of the state vigilance, a number of criminal cases were registered against present chief minister Amarinder Singh, his family members and other political leaders for corruption, he had told court. Now, he is seen as the man who launched criminal prosecution against the present CM and his “coterie” and the state’s agencies have become “persecuting agencies” instead of “prosecuting agencies” for his false implication, he had told court also apprehending that he could also be ‘implicated’ in the 2015 sacrilege cases.
Saini fails to join probe
Saini did not join probe on Wednesday at the Mataur police station of Mohali in the Multani disappearance case. Cops waited for him for two hours. Notices to join investigation were issued on September 21, including one pasted outside his residence in Sector-20,
Chandigarh. One of the SIT members said that a fresh meeting would be called to decide the next course of action. It is learnt that Saini’s lawyer, Ramanpreet Sandhu has written a letter to Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta, among others, stating that Saini has flu/covid-19 like symptoms and ‘reasonable time’ of a few days be granted for him to appear before the SIT. He has also requested for the deployment of a medical team at the time of questioning and adequate security arrangements in view of the threat perception to him.