CHANDIGARH, Punjab—A local court today framed kidnapping and murder charges against Punjab Director General of Police (HRD) SK Sharma and three other police officers in a 24-year-old ‘fake’ encounter case.
District and Sessions Judge Amarjot Bhatti has framed charges against Sharma, the then Morinda SHO Balkar Singh, DIG SPS Basra and ASI Gurcharan Singh under Sections 364 (kidnapping), 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (false information) of the IPC.
Before framing charges, the court granted anticipatory bail to three accused. Basra is already in the Patiala jail in connection with another criminal case. On October 24, 1990, Kuldip Singh, 21, of Amrali village was kidnapped by unidentified persons from Morinda.
On May 15, 1991, his father Ajaib Singh read a report in The Tribune carrying a statement issued on behalf of the then Patiala SSP (SK Sharma) that one Kuldip Singh of Amrali village had been killed in an encounter. Ajaib approached the authorities for justice, but in vain.
A case was finally registered in 1998 against the four police officials. Following this, the police declared Kuldip untraced twice and sought permission to close the report.
However, Ajaib lodged a protest petition in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate AS Grewal, who ordered to start proceedings against the four accused.
On May 6, 2014, Additional District and Sessions Judge KS Sular observed that prima facie offence under Sections 302.201/120B of the IPC was made out., besides under Sections 364 and 34.
