HC judge recuses from hearing Umranangal’s anticipatory bail petition

A Punjab and Haryana high court judge on Tuesday recused from hearing the anticipatory bail plea of suspended inspector general of police (IGP) Paramraj Singh Umranangal in the 2015 Behbal Kalan firing case.

The high court bench of justice HS Sidhu without recording any reason for the recusal ordered that the matter be put up before the chief justice for appropriate orders. Justice Sidhu also ordered listing of the case on Wednesday following a request for urgent hearing from the petitioner’s counsel.

The matter will be taken up by the bench of justice Deepak Sibal on Wednesday.

The Faridkot trial court has already dismissed his plea. Umranangal is accused in the case registered at the Baja Khana police station in Faridkot.

The case was registered on October 21, 2015, a week after two protesters were allegedly killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan in the aftermath of incidents of sacrilege reported at Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala.

Former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and Umranangal were chargesheeted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police on January 15 in this case.

SIT submits sanction against Saini

The special investigation team (SIT), probing the 2015 police firing incidents, on Tuesday submitted the sanction granted by the state home department to prosecute former director general of police Sumedh Singh Saini in connection with the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing cases, in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate, Faridkot.

Last month, the home department had sanctioned prosecution under Section 197 (prosecution of public servants) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

On September 10, 2020, the SIT had told a Faridkot court that then DGP Saini and

Umranangal were the main conspirators in the Behbal Kalan firing incident. On September 28, SIT nominated Saini and Umranangal as accused in the FIR registered at Bajakhana police station in connection with Behbal Kalan firing case.

THE HC BENCH OF JUSTICE HS SIDHU WITHOUT RECORDING ANY REASON FOR THE RECUSAL ORDERED THAT THE MATTER BE PUT UP BEFORE THE CHIEF JUSTICE

Kotkapura firing: Saini’s bail plea adjourned

The district and sessions court, Faridkot, on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on the anticipatory bail application of former director general of police Saini in 2015 Kotkapura firing case to February 23.

On January 18, the SIT filed a supplementary chargesheet against Saini naming him as a conspirator in Kotkapura firing case. However, after filling of chargesheet, the court of judicial magistrate has summoned him to appear on February 18, following which he moved the anticipatory bail application.

Faridkot court has issued bailable arrest warrants against Saini in Behbal Kalan firing case after he failed to appear in the court last week.