CHANDIGARH, Punjab—Another setback for the Ex-DGP Sumedh Saini has come today with the Punjab & Haryana High Court rejecting his plea seeking anticipatory bail in the 1991’s Balwant Singh Multani abduction and murder case. Earlier, the Mohali Court had rejected Sumedh Saini’s bail plea.
The Punjab & Haryana High Court’s decision has come in agreement with the prosecution’s demand that Sumedh Saini’s custodial interrogation was necessary to know about other police officials involved in illegal abduction, detention, torture, and disposal of Multani’s body.
It is learned that the Punjab & Haryana High Court bench headed by Justice Fatehdeep Singh has also rejected Sumedh Saini’s petition challenging the legitimacy of the investigation being carried out into the Balwant Singh Multani abduction and murder case. In his petition, Saini claimed that the probe was in violation of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Although the Punjab & Haryana High has rejected Sumedh Saini’s anticipatory bail plea but there are very negligible chances of his arrest as his whereabouts are still unknown. Further, he still has an option to approach the Supreme Court seeking an anticipatory bail plea.
Pertinently, ex-DGP Sumedh Saini is facing murder charges in this case. The indictment of Sumedh Saini under murder charges had 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.
Case Background:
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.