Decision on ex-DGP Saini’s petition challenging closure report on Feb 21

ARGUMENTS IN THE CASE CONCLUDED ON THURSDAY

LUDHIANA : The decision on the application filed by former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini challenging the closure report in the City Centre case will be taken by the district and sessions court, Ludhiana, on February 21.

Arguments by both the state prosecution department representing chief minister Amarinder Singh and the other accused in the case as well as by Saini’s counsel concluded on Thursday.

It was on November 28 last year when during one of the resumed hearings of arguments on closure report when the former DGP had moved a plea to ‘hear him out’ before passing an order on the same.

Saini, who was vigilance bureau director at the time of the registration of the case in 2007, had claimed in the application that a contradictory view was taken by vigilance last year when it submitted a cancellation report.

After arguments on the application from both the parties were heard, the court sent a notice to the Punjab government to file a reply.

Saini also sought that apart from submissions in court, he be permitted to submit in a sealed cover, material which is ‘sensitive’ for the perusal/examination of the court.

The state prosecution department had strongly objected to Saini’s plea and questioned as to why the officer ‘kept mum’ all these years.

The prosecution had also told the court that the reply also raised a question mark on the investigation carried out by the vigilance bureau for four years from 2007 to 2012 when Saini was its director.

Filing a rejoinder to these arguments, Saini had stated that the state machinery has colluded with the Amarinder Singh to protect him.

Saini’s counsel Ramanpreet Sandhu had also stated during the course of the arguments that the two departments of the state government — vigilance headed by chief minister Amarinder Singh and local bodies headed by Navjot Singh Sidhu — submitted contradictory reports in the court.

In 2017, Today Homes filed an execution petition regarding the arbitration award which was challenged by the local bodies department,” said Sandhu.

“How is it possible that the local bodies department is challenging the same arbitration which incidentally is supported by the vigilance in the closure report?” he had said.