Seven pleas filed in court seeking further probe
PANCHKULA: Even as the special CBI court on Saturday took up closing arguments in two murder cases involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and his accomplices as the main accused, seven applications have been filed in the court seeking further investigations, summoning of witnesses and even stay on the ongoing trials.
The court has sought reply from the CBI counsel on these applications and listed them for hearing on September 22.
The plea of dera chief’s former driver Khatta Singh, who had earlier turned hostile but now wants to depose against him, will also come up on that day.
These applications have been moved by Delhi-based lawyer Bankim Kulshreshtha on behalf of Krishan Lal, who is dera chief’s close aide and is main accused with him in the murder of dera member Ranjit Singh and Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati.
These murders were committed in 2002 and the closing arguments in these cases are now nearing conclusion. Ranjit’s murder, his brother-inlaw purchased life insurance policy on his name with the help of LIC agents and even paid his premium barely days before his murder.
He stated that the then crime branch officer of the area, inspector Azad Singh, had lodged FIR implicating Ranjit’s kin for conspiring to kill him.
However, the CBI, after taking charge of the murder probe, filed the closure report in the insurance policy FIR. In another application, he sought the summoning of inspector Azad and M Narayanan, retired DIG of the CBI, in this connection. The accused further contended that if Ranjit’s family was so sure that the alleged threat to Ranjeet Singh was a reality, then why they did not he lodge any complaint against the dera persons before his murder.
Even after his murder, his father Joginder Singh lodged a complaint against the sarpanch of his village, alleging that his son has been got murdered by him due to electoral enmity.
“Therefore, investigation is required before any decision to bring on record the real and unvarnished truth,” the application read.
Then another application sought the site inspection of the alleged spot from where the accused entered into a car after firing upon Ranjit Singh and allegedly seen by prosecution witness Raj Pal.
As there is a divider in the middle of the national highway just in front of the agricultural fields of Ranjit Singh, there is no possibility for Rajpal, who was driving tractor and was on the extreme opposite side of the road, to see the alleged accused.
PLEAS FILED BY KRISHAN LAL, A COACCUSED IN RANJIT MURDER CASE, SEEK FURTHER PROBE, SUMMONING OF WITNESSES AND STAY ON ONGOING TRIALS
ANOTHER APPLICATION IN CHHATRAPATI CASE Another application sought the recalling of prosecution witness Aridaman in the Chhatrapati murder case on the plea of alleged shooters Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh.
They stated that police post in-charge inspector Vijay Singh authored the murder complaint allegedly on the oral statement of Aridaman, younger son of slain journalist Chhatrapati , who was then aged 13 years. They doubted his statement given to the police then. The accused sought the adjournment of the murder trials till the disposal of these applications.