SIT to probe 2015 sacrilege cases, says high court

CHANDIGARH: The special investigating team (SIT) constituted by the Punjab government will investigate the sacrilege cases in the state as the double bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday dismissed the appeal against the single bench order dismissing the petition seeking CBI probe into the 2015 incidents.

Upholding the order of single bench of January 25, 2019, the bench of chief justice Ravi Shankar Jha and Justice Arun Palli dismissed the petition filed by by former senior superintendent of police (SSP) Charanjit Singh and three other cops.

The Punjab government had argued before the double bench that in a criminal case an order of single bench cannot be challenged before the double bench of the high court and any appeal can be filed in the Supreme Court. The government termed the appeal filed by the accused policemen as “non-maintainable” while seeking dismissal of the petition.

In January 25, 2019, the single bench had dismissed the petition seeking CBI investigation filed by Charanjit Singh and three others who had approached the court questioning the action against them on the basis of the Justice Ranjit Singh commission which probed the Behbal Kalan police firing and sacrilege incidents.

The HC had also dismissed their plea seeking probe by an independent agency like CBI into FIRs registered in connection with sacrilege incidents. The high court had directed that SIT to “conduct a fair, impartial and speedy investigation undaunted by pressure, if any, internal or external”.

Justice Gupta also made it clear that any laxity in such an issue of public importance would be against the rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The court had said that the SIT shall employ all investigative skills and forensic methods at its command and conclude the investigation expeditiously.