CHANDIGARH, Punjab—The former Punjab DGP Sumedh Saini may face arrest in Balwant Singh Multani’s extra-judicial murder case as the Mohali Court has rejected his plea seeking interim bail. Notably, Sumedh Saini is facing murder charges in this case registered in the Mataur police station in May this year.
However, legal experts have said that Sumedh Saini has an option to approach Punjab & Haryana High Court to evade his arrest in this case.
Earlier, Mohali police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) had conducted a raid to arrest Sumedh Saini on August 29 but he succeeded in fleeing before the arrest.
It is pertinent to note here that the indictment of Sumedh Saini under murder charges has become possible because two former cops namely Inspector Jagir Singh and Assistant Sub Inspector Kuldeep Singh, who are eyewitness of brutal torture on Multani, have turned approver in this case.
Their statements were recorded before the court under Section 164 of the CrPC i.e. on turning approver in this disappearance case.
In 1991, the Chandigarh police had abducted Balwant Singh Multani from his residence immediately after an attack on Sumedh Saini in Chandigarh. Four cops deployed in the security of Saini were killed, while he survived the attack.
After abducting Balwant Singh Multani, the cops had committed inhuman torture on him at the behest of Sumedh Saini.
“During the night of December 13, 1991, the cops of Sector-17 police station produced Balwant Singh Multani before Sumedh Saini. He was tortured so cruelly that he was left unable to stand. When he fell down, Sumedh Saini kicked him so cruelly that his eye came out. Next morning, he was lying unconscious in a pool of blood. Saini came and ordered the cops to put him inside a vehicle and they took him along with them,” an eyewitness Gursharan Kaur Mann had revealed in May this year.
In 2007, the Punjab & Haryana High Court had ordered a CBI inquiry into this case. The CBI had found enough evidence against Sumedh Saini after which an FIR was registered against him, along with three other cops namely SP (Operations) Baldev Singh Saini, SI Harsahai Sharma and Jagir Singh on July 4, 2008.
Later, this FIR was quashed by the Supreme Court of India after Saini challenged CBI inquiry and the High Court’s decision.
On May 6, the Mohali police had registered a fresh FIR on the complaint of victim Balwant Singh Multani’s brother Palwinder Singh Multani against Sumedh Saini, SP (Operations) Baldev Singh Saini, SI Harsahai Sharma, SI Jagir Singh, SI Savir Singh, SI Anoop Singh, Kuldeep Singh and other unknown police cops.
It’s about time the punjab and indian courts done their jobs, Sumedh Saini should have been arrested years ago, instead he was the right hand man of corrupt Badels. Badels should also be bought in front of courts and punished for protecting him, Sumedh Saini is a disgrace to the police uniform.