2 ACCUSED OF BRIBING COP SENT TO PROTECTION HOME BY HC

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday sent two persons, who had allegedly paid a bribe of ₹ 3 lakh to a senior police official, to a protection home here and directed that their safety be ensured.

The high court bench of justice Avneesh Jhingan also sought a response from the Punjab police and SSP, Sangrur by May 17. The duo has been sent to a protection home in Sector-19, Chandigarh.

A Punjab police probe suggests that the duo, Hasandeep Singh and Kirpal Singh, had paid ₹ 3 lakh to a cop, Davinder Singh, who further passed it on to superintendent of police (SP), Karanveer Singh, to settle an FIR.

Their counsel Sumit Jain said that the two had sought protection to their life and liberty as they faced threats at the hands of police.

They had also demanded that both the FIRS, one registered in a woman’s death case and bribery case be handed over to Bureau of Investigation and that their statements be allowed to be recorded before a magistrate in Chandigarh.

On February 27, a case of attempt to murder was registered against Gurmej Singh (husband), Balwinder Kaur (mother-in-law), a marriage broker and 2 other family members at Khanauri police station for allegedly setting 33-year-old Parmjit Kaur on fire.

Gurmej and Balwinder were arrested in the case. However, based on Karanveer Singh’s report, the FIR was cancelled on March 31. But the victim died and the FIR was converted into a murder case.

In the court, the duo submitted that the present SSP has an official rivalry with Karanveer Singh and used them as a tool being the relatives of the accused in the murder case. The duo was called by the police and were made to sign on blank papers to register the bribery case against Karanveer.