Mohali court denies bail to Punjab ex-DGP Sumedh Saini in corruption case

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 7

In a setback to former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, a special court here on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail application in a corruption case filed against him by the Vigilance Bureau, Punjab.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Parminder Singh Grewal, while rejecting the anticipatory bail, observed that the case was registered after a detailed inquiry by the VB, on the complaint of the Joint Director Vigilance, and was based on documents. 

The court has observed that Saini had asserted in his petition that he was not known to Nimratdeep Singh and his father and had met them during signing the rent agreement and the agreement to sell. However, Saini’s own accounts show that he had paid Rs 45 lakh to Nimratdeep and his father prior to signing the rent deed.

Saini had filed the plea for seeking anticipatory bail through his counsel HS Dhanoya and APS Deol in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge on Thursday.

Saini and six others were booked by the Vigilance Bureau under Sections 109, 120-B of the IPC and the PC Act recently. Saini is accused of helping Punjab XEN Nimratdeep Singh in amassing assets beyond his known sources of income.

The Vigilance team had also raided Saini’s residence in Sector 20 here to arrest him and it continued searching his house for hours.

Deol, counsel for Saini, argued that the case was the outcome of political vendetta and in line with the three earlier cases registered against Saini.