DGP Sumedh Saini told to appear before trial court Tribune News Service Chandigarh, November 21 Facing charges of wrongful confinement and abduction, Punjab Director-General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini will have to appear before the trial court in Delhi November 28 onwards. The exemption from personal appearance granted to Saini in the matter stands withdrawn till further orders. The direction came on an application filed by complainant Ashish Kumar. Delhi Special Judge AK Mendiratta in his order has asserted: “It has been pointed out by complainant/witness Ashish Kumar that the defence has already taken over 27 dates for cross-examination and there is a deliberate attempt to delay the trial…. “It is a matter of great concern as serious allegations of pressurising of witnesses have been made in the application. This court cannot be a mute spectator to the fact that cross-examination (of Ashish Kumar) has continued for a considerable time and is yet to be concluded on behalf of accused SS Saini…. “Considering the serious allegations made in the application, accused SS Saini is also directed to appear during cross-examination of the witness and his exemption is withdrawn for the aforesaid dates till further orders”. In his application, Ashish Kumar alleged that the accused were delaying the trial by adopting “one coercive method or the other”; and till date the defence had already taken more than 27 dates, only for Saini. Seeking day-to-day proceedings in the case, Ashish Kumar said the accused had adopted a new way to harass the complainant mentally. Elaborating, he said that the presence of his mother, 90-year-old Amar Kaur, was exempted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a case registered at Ludhiana to implicate him. Despite the order, Amar Kaur received summons on October 20, directing that she be present in court. “When summons were received, an official from the Delhi Police also accompanied Punjab Police officials. These officials threatened her that if she refused to sign the summons, she would be picked up forcibly… Thereafter, another summon was received by Amar Kaur on November 4 at odd hours (10.30 pm), which were from the same police station”. He said it was clear that the entire exercise was being undertaken to put pressure on the complainant through his mother. Saini is accused of being involved in the abduction and physical liquidation of three persons in 1994. After a detailed investigation, the CBI had framed charges and Saini is out on bail. Delhi businessman Ashish Kumar had earlier created a flutter in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, claiming state Vigilance chief Sumedh Singh Saini was out to eliminate him. Already, Justice Daya Chaudhary has quashed the warrants issued by a Ludhiana court against him and his mother Amar Kaur. Ashish Kumar has all along been saying his brother Vinod Kumar, brother-in-law Ashok Kumar and their driver Mukhtiar Singh were kidnapped and later eliminated and that the CBI had found Saini and three other police officials directly responsible for their disappearance. His family was chief financier to Saini Motors, run by ex-husband of Sumedh Singh Saini’s sister and the Ludhiana case was an offshoot of their struggle for justice, Ashish Kumar has maintained all along. Amar Kaur is virtually the complainant in the case against Saini. Abduction Case • Complainant Ashish Kumar has been saying that his brother Vinod Kumar, brother-in-law Ashok Kumar and their driver Mukhtiar Singh were kidnapped and eliminated • That a CBI probe had found Saini and three other police officials directly responsible for the same • That his family was chief financier to Saini Motors, run by ex-husband of Sumedh Singh Sainis sister • That the Ludhiana case was an offshoot of their struggle for justice • That the accused were delaying trial by adopting coercive methods • That the defence had already taken more than 27 dates, only for Saini tribuneindia/2013/20131122/punjab.htm#1
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:19:01 +0000
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