High Court puts former Punjab police chief Sumedh Saini on notice

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 6

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday put Punjab’s former police chief Sumedh Singh Saini on notice on an application filed by the State of Punjab for revoking the concession of interim anticipatory bail granted to him on account of “blatant and intentional violation of the directions issued by the High Court”.

The Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that the petition initially came up for hearing on August 11 and the orders were reserved the same day. Pronouncing it the next day, High Court granted interim anticipatory bail to the petitioner. The matter will now come up for hearing on October 7.

Appearing for the State, special public prosecutor S. S. Narula contended Saini had to appear before the investigating officer within seven days. Instead of joining the investigation, he preferred another application before the High Court. It came up for hearing on August 17. Realising that the court was not inclined to entertain the application, it was dismissed as withdrawn.

Narula added the Bench, during the course of hearing, asked a categorical question to the counsel for the petitioner whether he had joined the investigation pursuant to the order passed by the Court. The petitioner chose to intentionally exhaust the seven-day period during which he was to join the investigation. It was only late in the evening of the seventh day after Punjab vigilance bureau office in Sector 48 Mohali had closed that the petitioner arrived at 8 pm on August 18. 

“The malicious object of the petitioner was only to create evidence of his having gone to join investigation although there was no intention of his to join the investigation in letter and spirit. Appearing before Justice Avneesh Jhingan, Narula added the petitioner had fulfilled the formality of coming to the police station and was throwing tantrums. 

Taking up the matter, Justice Jhingan asserted an application had been moved by the petitioner, too, pleading that he had joined the investigation. Reliance was placed on the order of a coordinate Bench to submit there was misuse of process of law. “Notice in the applications for the date already fixed in the main petition,” Justice Jhingan concluded. 

Saini was represented by senior advocate APS Deol with H. S. Deol.