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Multani disappearance case: HC reserves order on two pleas of former DGP Saini

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | By, Chandigarh
Sep 07, 2020 06:57 PM IST

The additional district and sessions judge of Mohali had on September 1 dismissed Saini’s anticipatory bail plea and he had appealed to the high court against this order on September 4

A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Monday reserved order on two pleas of Sumedh Singh Saini, former DGP of Punjab police, including one for anticipatory bail in the Balwant Singh Multani disappearance case of 1991.

Punjab police special public prosecutor Sartej Narula said Saini had not been granted interim protection from arrest by the high court, with the anticipatory bail plea pending before it.

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During the hearing that started at around 11:30 am and continued till 4:30 pm on Monday, Saini pleaded that an FIR filed against him for the disappearance of Mohali resident Balwant Singh Multani in 1991 was the result of a mala fide act against him for launching probes against Congress leaders and their relatives to unearth scams.

Punjab police have argued that fresh evidence has come on record on Saini’s alleged involvement in Multani’s murder case. Hence, question of political victimisation does not arise.

The judgment in both the petitions from the high court bench of justice Fatehdeep Singh is likely to be pronounced on Tuesday.

Two judges who had recused from hearing this case earlier were justice Suvir Sehgal from hearing the bail plea and justice Amol Rattan Singh from hearing the petition seeking quashing of the FIR on September 2.

The additional district and sessions judge of Mohali had on September 1 dismissed Saini’s anticipatory bail plea and he had appealed to the high court against this order on September 4.

Before this, Saini had approached the high court on August 19 seeking quashing of the FIR.

The former DGP, whose whereabouts are not known at present, was booked in May this year in connection with the disappearance of Mohali resident Balwant Singh Multani, a junior engineer with the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation (Citco) in 1991.

Multani had been picked up by the police after a terrorist attack on Saini, the then senior superintendent of police in Chandigarh and now he faces arrest because of murder charges.

Initially the case was registered under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (voluntarily causes hurt) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code at Mataur police station in Mohali.

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