Sippy murder case: Accused files plea for contempt proceedings against CBI officials

Tribune News Service

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, January 12

Kalyani Singh, an accused in the murder of Sukhmanpreet Singh Sidhu, alias Sippy Sidhu, has filed an application before the CBI Special Magistrate while making reference to the Supreme Court order for the initiation of contempt proceedings against CBI officials concerned responsible for not preserving videography/audiography recorded during her remand period. The court has issued notice to the CBI for filing its reply on the application by January 18, 2023.

In the application filed through counsel Sartej Singh Narula, Kalyani stated that she had been falsely implicated in the case. She was arrested in connection with the case on June 15, 2022. The CBI had obtained her police remand.

Kalyani alleged that she was subjected to intimidation and intemperate psychological and verbal abuse during the remand period in order to compel her to admit to the commission of the crime. Kalyani further alleged that she was also threatened and abused by witness Deepinder Kaur, mother of the deceased.

Kalyani said she therefore, she had sought preservation of the CCTV footage/videography/audiography of the CBI office/police station, Sector 30, Chandigarh, where she was subjected to torture in the name of interrogation.

She said the Supreme Court vide order dated April 3, 2018, in Shafhi Mohammad v/s State of Himachal Pradesh case directed that a Central Oversight Body (COB) be set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to implement the plan of action with respect to the use of videography in the crime scene during the investigation. The Union of India was also directed to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment at the CBI office.

That in view of the facts, an application was moved by Kalyani to retain/preserve videography/audiography during her remand period while conducting interrogation.

Meanwhile, in its reply, the CBI said the CCTV footage of the examination of applicant/accused during her police remand were not available as videos of the period concerned had been overwritten and not in the recoding system.

Kalyani said the overwriting of the CCTV footage also amounts to criminal contempt as it tends to obstruct and interfere with the administration of justice and is also an illegal act of officials concerned of the CBI.

Kalyani said in view of this, a through probe be conducted into the overwriting of the CCTV footage and a reference be made to the Supreme Court for the initiation of the contempt proceedings against all officials responsible for violation of the apex court orders.

The court has directed the CBI to file its reply on the application on January 18, 2023.

Sippy Sidhu, an advocate, was shot dead at Sector 27 park in Chandigarh on the night of September 20, 2015. After Sippy’s murder, the police had registered a case against unknown persons. But the police could not solve the case. The case was then transferred to the CBI in 2016. Six years after the investigation, the CBI also failed to find culprits in the case and filed an untraced report in December 2020. The court permitted the CBI to continue further probe and directed it to file a final report after its conclusion. After further investigation, the CBI arrested accused Kalyani in the case.

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#Central Bureau of Investigation CBI #Sippy murder case #supreme court