Trouble for EX-DGP Saini as 2 former cops turn approvers

In their statement before a Mohali court, two co-accused said they were witness to torture of Balwant Singh Multani in custody

MOHALI: There is more trouble in store for former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini with two former UT cops and co-accused in disappearance case of Balwant Singh Multani turning approvers.

The case pertains to the disappearance of Multani, a Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation (CITCO) employee, in 1991. The case was registered against Saini and others on May 6 this year.

Chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Deepika Singh on Tuesday accepted the applications of former inspector Jagir Singh and ex-assistant sub inspector Kuldeep Singh, for becoming approvers and be pardoned in the Multani disappearance case.

The two have also vouched as eyewitnesses in the case. In their statement in the court, they said they were witness to torture to

Multani under custody of former DGP Saini and his shifting in a Gypsy in an unconscious state. The former cops alleged that later they were told that Multani went missing.

Jagir and Kuldeep alleged that they were asked to declare Multani as missing and absconding, which they did, on the orders of Saini.

Earlier, the three co-accused former UT cops, then inspector Jagir Singh, sub-inspector Harsahai Sharma and ASI Kuldeep Singh, had filed an application in the court seeking permission to turn the approvers and be pardoned in the ongoing probe against them in the case of disappearance of Multani.

However, the court of the CJM on August 7 turned down their plea for the want of to approach from proper channel that is the special investigation team (SIT) which can make a request to the court tendering for pardon for the accused. On August 14, the SIT with the support of special public prosecutor Sartej Singh Narula and district attorney Sanjiv Batra moved an application on behalf of the three accused after which the court declared two out of three as approvers.

Narula said: “The application for making them approvers was filed to assert that it was necessary to unearth the crime that took place in secret within four walls of police station or which it is necessary to declare the co-accused as approvers.”

He said that the approvers are accused who have been declared witnesses and are granted pardon under Section 306 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC). Now, the proceedings to grant them pardon will be heard on August 22.

Former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini is the prime accused in the case. All the three UT cops had recorded their statements under Section 164 of the (CRPC) before the judicial magistrates on different dates in Mohali, recently.

Jagir Singh is also co-accused along with ex-inspector Anokh Singh in another FIR registered at Kharar Sadar police station on July 27 on charges of fabricating the evidences booked under Section 195-A (fabricating evidence) of the Indian Penal

Anokh was arrested by Mohali police against fresh FIR and after taking him on three days police remand, he was sent to judicial custody. Anokh and Jagir Singh are also co-accused in the previous FIR registered at Mataur police station against former DGP in the case. Both are on bail.

APPROVER IS AN ACCUSED WHO HAS BEEN DECLARED WITNESS AND GRANTED PARDON UNDER SECTION 306 OF THE CRPC