Gurmeet Singh,
alias Pinky, at the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Fatehgarh
Sahib, on Monday.
— A Tribune photograph |
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 16
Setting aside speculations about his whereabouts, controversial cat-turned-encounter specialist Gurmeet Singh, alias Pinky, currently Inspector with the Fatehgarh Sahib police, surrendered in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate here this morning.
He, accompanied by his lawyer A.S. Dharni and a handful of supporters, appeared in the court of CJM D.S. Johal around 11 am.
Informing the court about his surrender, his lawyer moved two separate applications — first, requesting the permission to send him to Patiala jail and not Nabha jail fearing threat to his life, as many hardcore terrorists were lodged there, and second, to allow him to move out of jail for appearing in various court cases with select gunmen.
Granting the first request, the court remanded him in judicial custody till October 30 and sent him to the Patiala jail.
Meantime, a team of the Haryana Police, led by DSP Raj Kumar, moved an application in the court seeking the possession of Pinky on grounds of arrest warrants issued against him by a Yamunanagar court.
Mr Johal allowed the application with directions to present him before the District
Sessions Judge, Yamunanagar, at 10 am tomorrow.
However, before the Haryana Police could get the orders, Pinky was taken to the Patiala jail.
The Haryana Police team then approached a local DSP to get the possession of Pinky but to no avail.
Finally, after another application in the court of the CJM, directions were
issued to the Superintendent of the Patiala jail to hand over Pinky to the Haryana Police and produce him before the District and Sessions Judge, Yamunanagar, tomorrow.
Pinky is facing charges of murder of Ludhiana resident Avtar Singh Gola and contempt of court after he failed to appear before the Yamunanagar court on October 9.
The court had issued non-bailable warrants against him. Talking to The Tribune, Pinky said he could not appear in the court as he was not well. Since he had recuperated now, he decided to surrender.
He said he had faith in the judiciary but at the same time alleged that the Judicial Magistrate of the Yamunanagar court was biased and had conveyed to him in advance that he would convict him.
Pinky said he had moved applications in the High Court and the Supreme Court in this regard.
He demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder case. He alleged that certain human rights activists and lawyers, who had been contesting the cases of terrorists, were working behind the scene to implicated him.
He claimed his innocence and said justice would prevail. He denied the allegations that he had approached the parents and relatives of the deceased and offered them Rs 2 crore to reach a compromise.
