IG Zaidi taken into custody after CBI court cancels bail

CHANDIGARH :A special CBI court here on Friday cancelled the bail of suspended inspector general of police (IGP) Zahur Haider Zaidi, an accused in the Kotkhai custodial death case. He was taken into judicial custody.

Stating that Zaidi had “misused the concession of bail”, the Central Bureau of Investigation had moved an application in the special court four days ago seeking cancellation of his bail and issuance of a non-bailable arrest warrant in the interest of justice.

The application was moved after a senior police officer Soumya Sambasivan, the then Shimla superintendent of police, filed an application in the CBI court saying “Zaidi tried to influence and pressure her to change her statement in the court.”

Zaidi was first arrested on August 29, 2017, within 38 days of CBI taking over the investigation and remained in custody for over 19 months. He was released on April 6, 2019, via a Supreme Court order.

On Friday, in a reply to the CBI’S application, Zaidi’s counsel there was no reason for his client to feel or become so desperate to threaten or intimidate the prosecution witness. He further said after the statement of witness Soumya, his client was again suspended on January 15, 2020, and rendered powerless to exert any influence on any witness.

He submitted that the CBI should have verified from Soumya about the contents of two telephonic calls of long duration (20 minutes and 13, made one after another, to find out as to why the conservation lasted that long. The judge, however, observed: “This submission of the counsel of the accused itself corroborates her statement regarding the allegations levelled against the accused on January 8, 2020. Therefore, the accused cannot take benefit of this.”