Don’t file new cases against ex-DGP Saini, Supreme Court tells Punjab

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Punjab government not to file new cases against former state DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, who is seeking quashing of a fresh FIR lodged against him in the 1991 case of alleged murder of junior engineer Balwant Singh Multani.Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Saini, submitted it seems that every day his client would have to challenge a new case.”Now my client says a third case has been registered. How will one man fight against the might of the state. The vendetta needs to be stopped. Why can a probe continue on the statement of the approver. What the state is doing to my client is unfair,” he submitted.Rohatgi reiterated that his client is fighting the state government and the Chief Minister.A bench, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and comprising Justices M.R. Shah and R. Subhash Reddy, sought a response from the state government within four weeks.Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, representing the Punjab government, contended he would make a statement on the next date of hearing of the matter.
The bench told Subramanium: “Please don’t rush and proceed in such a manner which may cause problems.”The bench observed that the matter has not proceeded in the last one month, and asked the state government to not proceed further. “You withdraw the latest petition from the High Court,” it added.Meanwhile, senior advocate K.V. Viswanathan, representing the victim’s family, said: “I too need time to file reply. There is a need for closure for the family.”On September 8, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had dismissed Saini’s plea for quashing the case or transferring it to the CBI. It had also dismissed Saini’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in the alleged murder case.The top court on September 15 had granted interim protection from arrest to Saini in the fresh FIR.Multani, a resident of Mohali, was picked up by police after a terrorist attack on Saini, who was then the Senior Superintendent of Police in Chandigarh, in 1991. Later, police claimed Multani had escaped police custody.In May, Saini was booked at a police station in Mohali along with six others in the case and in August, the murder charge was added after two of the accused policemen gave details of the incident.