HC notice to Saini on police plea over bail

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday sought response from former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini on a plea filed by Punjab Police seeking quashing of an order of a Mohali court giving bail to Saini on May 11 in Balwant Singh Multani disappearance case of 1991. The high court bench of justice Fatehdeep Singh has sought response from Saini by November 3.

Punjab special public prosecutor Sartej Narula said, he was granted bail by Mohali trial court on May 11, for offences in the FIR registered under kidnapping among other charges, which has been challenged in this petition. As of Supreme Court granting him the bail, that has been granted under the murder charge section added subsequently, he added. In the fresh plea, Punjab has argued that the trial court order is ‘erroneous and suffers from defects’ and that the court failed to take relevant facts and circumstances into consideration before granting him relief on May 11, five days after FIR was registered in Mohali. The heinousness and seriousness of the crime by an officer in uniform was not considered, it has been argued adding that the court also failed to take into account manipulation of entire criminal justice system by the accused to forward his

illegal designs. Police have argued that being a retired officer, he is in position to cause interference with probe and can also resort to intimidation to not only witnesses but also to the investigating team.