2 senior Punjab cops in dock for action against Badals

of Mohali Special Judge Rajinder Aggarwal — who had on October 1 acquitted the Badals and seven other accused in the high-profile corruption and disproportionate assets case lodged by the Vigilance Bureau on June 24,2003 — filed the complaint through its authorised representative Rajeev Verma.

While acquitting the Badals,Aggarwal had ordered perjury proceedings against Singh and Uppal. The complainant sought summoning of both the accused and their trial in accordance with laws and appropriate punishment to them.

Accepting the voluminous complaint running into 486 pages,the Duty Magistrate forwarded it to the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Jaspinder Singh,who was on leave on Tuesday,for further proceedings.

Surinder Pal Singh (then Vigilance Bureau SSP) was Investigating Officer in the case and Uppal (then Vigilance Bureau DIG) was his immediate boss as Supervisory Officer. While Surinder Pal Singh had filed the chargesheet under Section 173 of CrPC before the court for the trial of the Badals,Uppal had certified its correctness. On the basis of averments made in the chargesheet and documents submitted along with it,the charges were framed against the Badals. During trial,none of the material witnesses supported the prosecution case and finding no evidence against any of them,all the accused were acquitted.

The complaint read,“Uppal and Singh,in criminal conspiracy with each other,gave false information in the shape of challan to the court… They instituted criminal proceedings against the accused,knowing that there was no just or lawful ground for such proceedings or charge against the said persons.”

It added: “They fabricated false evidence for the purpose of using the same in the judicial proceedings and they being public servants prepared false record and framed it in the manner which they knew it to be incorrect with intent to cause injury to the alleged accused…”.

The Special Court said the various prosecution witnesses were harassed by Singh and Uppal the Badals’ case. “They have stated that they were called to the VB office by Singh and Uppal,who had caused harassment to them and pressurised them to make statements against Parkash Singh Badal but they did not agree and their signatures were obtained on some papers under threat and pressure by Uppal and Singh,” the complaint read.

According to the Special Court,all the witnesses said both these officers had used “unparliamentary language and had threatened them to make statements against Badal”.