Accused former DGP knocks on the High Court for anticipatory bail

Accused former DGP knocks on the High Court for anticipatory bail

Harshabab Sidhu
Nabaz-e-Punjab, Mohali, September 2:
Former Punjab DGP Sumedh Saini, who is facing serious charges of mysterious disappearance of Balwant Singh Multani 29 years ago, has now knocked the door of Punjab and Haryana High court for anticipatory bail.
Saini has filed an application in the High Court through his lawyer challenging the decision of the Mohali court. It is pertinent to mention here that in the recent past, the district court had earlier rejected the anticipatory bail application of the former DGP. The court held that there were serious allegations against him (Saini) and police investigation and interrogation of the accused is very important in this case. Due to which Saini’s bail cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, a High Court judge today abruptly distanced himself from the Saini case. Former DGP Sumedh Saini had filed a petition in the High Court seeking dismissal of the criminal case registered against him at Mohali’s Mataur police station. His application was scheduled to be heard today but the judge has set aside the matter and forwarded Saini’s application to the Chief Justice for further action. The case will now be transferred to another court by the Chief Justice in the next one or two days.
It was also learned that Mohali police had formed seven teams to nab Saini but no senior or junior police officer was ready to speak on such a major matter. A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said only that efforts were being made to arrest Saini.
According to police sources, Saini has gone into hiding again for fear of his arrest and there are rumors that he is not in his residence but in Delhi. However, the court, while granting bail under Section 364, had ordered that he (Saini) could not leave the city without informing the police and the court. Saini’s absence is being considered as a violation of court orders.
Saini has argued in his petition that the case is 29 years old. Earlier, the CBI had registered a case against him in this regard but it could not produce any concrete evidence in the Supreme Court. As a result, the Supreme Court provided relief to Saini and dismissed the case against him from the outset. But now on the orders of the Punjab government, a case has been registered after 29 years on the basis of a false complaint of the victim’s family and they are being deliberately harassed and defamed. The case against him is purely politically motivated, said Saini in his petition.