Mohali, May 11: A local court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to former director general of Punjab police Sumedh Singh Saini saying there was a serious doubt about the maintainability of the FIR registered last week in a 29-year-old case of abduction and police torture.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Monika Goyal cast doubts on the motivations that led to the FIR.
“Chances are that it (the FIR) is an outcome of political vendetta as present applicant was instrumental in lodging FIRs against high-ups,” the court said.
The court also said that since the case was now more than 29 years old and that Saini was willing to cooperate with investigators, it saw no point in arresting him, especially at a time when the Supreme Court and high courts were trying to de-congest jails in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Saini and seven other policemen, some of them now retired, faces criminal charges in a 29-year-old case of abduction of the son of a former IAS officer.
“The purpose of investigation will suffice if the applicant is directed to join investigation and to cooperate properly. Thus, present is a fit case where he is entitled to anticipatory bail,” Judge Goyal said.
The court admitted that the allegations pertained to a heinous crime, but said that the only explanation the prosecuting agency and the complainant gave for the case being delayed was that Saini, being DGP, was very influential, but took no action in proceeding with the case.
