Vigilance officer’s arrest stayed

In a relief for Surinder Pal Singh, senior Punjab Vigilance official, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday stayed the non-bailable warrants and summoning orders for him issued by a Kharar court. On July 12, the Court had issued summoning orders and non bailable warrants for Surinder Singh in connection with a murder case, adding him as a respondent.

Senior lawyer Bipan Ghai, counsel for Surinder Pal has also sought the quashing of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Punjab Police in a murder case dating back to 2004. The orders were passed by the Kharar court on July 19. Senior lawyer Bipan Ghai averred that the proceedings by the Kharar Court “are without jurisdiction, a total abuse of the process of law and have been initiated in order to scuttle the already initiated proceedings” of the murder case of a former political leader.

The case was registered at the police station in Kharar on July 2, 2004. A Kharar court, on July 19, had issued non-bailable warrants against 21 persons in an eight-year-old Kharar shootout incident in which two persons had been killed.

The court had issued warrants against SAD leader Kiranbir Singh Kang, Congress leader Rajbir Singh Padiala (previously with the Akali Dal), his brother Tejbir Singh Padiala, former Ropar SSP Surinder Singh and SP (D), Majitha, Jasdev Singh Sandhu.

The incident took place on July 3, 2004, when two Akali factions clashed during an SGPC rally at Anaj Mandi in Kharar.

The court had has also issued warrants against inspector Ramandeep Singh, sub-Inspectors Bhagwant Singh Riar and Gurdip Singh, assistant sub-inspectors Harbhajan Singh and Kulbir Singh, constables Avtar Singh and Amarjit Singh, Nagar Singh, Harinder Singh, Bhag Singh, Tajinder Singh, alias Goga, Anokh Singh, Karamjit Singh, alias Karma, Sajjan Singh, Ravinder Singh, alias Kala, Manga and Surinder Singh, alias Jeevanjot.

During the course of the hearing on May 16, a supplementary chargesheet was presented in the court by SHO, Kharar, Vijay Kumar. Harbir Singh, the then vice-president of the Youth Akali Dal, and Paramjit Singh, a SOPU leader, were killed in the shootout incident. Three persons, including Kang, Sukhdev Singh and Sajjan Singh, were injured. Sources said that both Kang and Padial wanted to show their strength before Parkash Singh Badal who was scheduled to address a rally at the Kharar Anaj Mandi.

Kang and his supporters had alleged that the police remained a mute spectator and did nothing to control the situation. Later, the police registered a case under Sections 307, 302, 120-B, 148 and 149 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. After registration of the case, Kang evaded arrest while Rajbir Singh Padiala surrendered after four days of the incident.

The three-member inquiry committee constituted under ADGP (Crime) Shashi Prabha had given a clean chit to Kang and his supporters. Two petitions were also filed in the apex court against the inquiry report, but both were dismissed in 2007.

Meanwhile, more sections were included against 21 persons and a separate DDR was lodged on September 12, 2011.