Behbal kalan firing: Former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma moves court, wants charges dropped

Faridkot, December 3

Former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma has approached the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Faridkot, urging it to drop proceedings initiated against him in the Behbal Kalan police firing case of October 2015 in which two protesters were killed and many others were injured.

Sharma asked the court to reject the challan and supplementary challans furnished by the police in this case as the trial court had taken cognisance of the case without the previous sanction of the state government as envisioned by Section 197 (2) read with Section 197 (3) of the CrPC. Whenever a person is accused of committing an offence while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty, the sanction under Section 197 is compulsory, claimed the former SSP, one of the prime accused in Behbal Kalan police firing case.

While adjourning the hearing in the case to December 22, the court directed the prosecution to file a reply to the former SSP’s application before the next date of hearing. The court also asked the special investigation team (SIT) of the police, probing the police firing incident, to file a reply to an application of Mahinder Singh, father of deceased Bhagwan Krishan Singh, who was allegedly killed in the police firing at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015. He had approached the court, demanding the recall of an order of September 15, 2020, in which pardon was tendered to a prime accused, Inspector Pardeep Singh.

In his application, Mahinder Singh has levelled numerous allegations against Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, the former IGP, the then member of SIT, for committing fraud with the court for giving consent for tender of pardon to the main accused. Mahinder alleged that it was Pardeep Singh who had started kicking and slapping some peaceful protesters, leading to the police firing. — TNS

His plea

Charanjit Singh Sharma, former Moga SSP, asked the court to reject the challan and supplementary challans furnished by the police in the firing case as the trial court had taken cognisance of the case without the previous sanction of the state government as envisioned by Section 197 (2) read with Section 197 (3) of the CrPC .