Inspector drug case: STF’s wait on ‘immunity’ to ex-DSP raises doubts
When the Punjab government is apparently banking on the special task force (STF) of the police to crack down heavily drugs, its stand on “immunity” to a retired deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Jaswant Singh, who is facing serious charges in a drug case involving a since- dismissed inspector, has raised eyebrows.
As per the STF investigation, Jaswant was DSP in Tarn Taran and was supervisory officer of inspector Inderjit Singh, the then in-charge of the crime investigation agency (CIA). Inderjit allegedly tampered with court records to save some smugglers from whom big seizures were made. This has emerged in the STF investigation done after arresting Inderjit from his house in Jalandhar with 4 kg of heroin and other drugs on June 11 last year.
On the basis of this investigation, Jaswant was booked by the STF under sections 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment), 466 (forgery of record of court), 471 (using a fraud record as genuine), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 384 (extortion) of the India Penal Code, and under the NDPS Act. The challan by the STF in a Mohali court on November 20 states that, as supervisory officer, Jaswant signed all tampered documents that the inspector produced before court and “was even aware of the tampering done to save the smugglers”.
But the ex-DSP has not been arrested as STF is waiting for the plea for immunity from prosecution filed before the home department of the state. The STF has also said in a challan that “action would be taken against him when his (immunity) plea would be decided”.
The immunity is provided under section 64 of the NDPS Act, only after sanction from the state or the central government. Many retired police officers whom HT contacted said there was “hardly any such instance in the history of Punjab Police”. “In my career of 30 years, I haven’t heard of immunity to even a routine addict for rehabilitation. In cases other than those of NDPS Act, immunity is provided only to those who assure the government that they would make big disclosures,” said a retired DSP.
Jaswant said his immunity plea is pending for the past few months: “I don’t know if the government has accepted it.”
Interestingly, it is a statement by Jaswant in the challan which led to suspicion of the then SSP Raj Jit Singh Hundal’s role in the case, as Jaswant said Raj Jit knew everything about Inderjit. When the SSP’s name cropped up in the challan, he moved the high court to plead that he was being framed in the case and the STF chief was biased against him. The SSP has recently been transferred. STF officials were not available for comment. A text message was sent to STF chief Harpreet Sidhu, but he didn’t reply.