Reinstatement of cops raises concerns over witnesses

Chandigarh, September 23

The reinstatement of police officers facing trial in criminal cases, including Inspector Rajdeep Singh, who is an accused in the Sector 37 property grab case, has sparked concerns about prosecution witnesses potentially getting influenced.

Rajdeep was arrested in the case on March 12, 2021, and granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 28 last year.

Charges against other three

Inspector Jaswinder Kaur

She was Mani Majra SHO when she, along with a conduit, was arrested by the CBI in June 2020 for allegedly seeking Rs 5 lakh in bribe from a Mani Majra resident for not lodging a cheating case against him.

Sub-Inspector Sarabjit Kaur

She was caught by the CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 for some settlement in a rape case in September 2021.

ASI Harbhajan Lal

The CBI arrested him for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 from an IAF personnel in February 2021.

Rajdeep, who was under suspension, was reinstated by the Police Department yesterday. The department had constituted a committee to review the case and Rajdeep has been reinstated on the basis of its recommendations.

Despite repeated attempts, UT DGP Praveer Ranjan could not be contacted.

Meanwhile, SP (Headquarters) Ketan Bansal, who had issued the orders, said the Inspector had been reinstated based on the committee’s recommendations. However, to prevent any potential influence on witnesses, the officer would not be assigned sensitive postings, the SP added.

Committee reviewed their cases

The four police personnel, facing trial, who were under suspension, were reinstated by the department on Friday. The department had constituted a committee to review their cases and they were reinstated on the basis of its recommendations. The reinstatement orders state that the police personnel will not be put on sensitive posts and shall not influence the prosecution witnesses.

In March 2021, The police registered a case for torture and illegally confining the victim, Rahul Mehta (48), the only surviving heir of his family, in his Sector 37 house in April 2017 and forcibly transferring the general power of attorney (GPA) of 338 sq yd house to their names.

Rahul was later abandoned at a stud farm in Gujarat in June 2017, before being shifted from one charitable home to another in Maharashtra, Delhi and Rajasthan, where he was finally found.

‘Inspector will not be put on sensitive post’

‘Inspector Rajdeep Singh had been reinstated based on a committee’s recommendations. However, to prevent any potential influence on witnesses, the officer would not be assigned sensitive postings.’

— Ketan Bansal, SP (Headquarters)

The house was further sold for Rs 2.9 crore in March 2019. A total of 12 individuals were made accused in the case. However, one of them, Surjit Singh, a bouncer, has since died.

The remaining accused are Sanjeev Mahajan, a journalist; Khalender Singh Kadian, realtor Manish Gupta, his brother Saurab Gupta (who bought the house), Chandigarh Police Inspector Rajdeep Singh, Satpal Dagar, brother of a UT DSP; liquor baron Arvind Singla, Ashok Arora, Shekhar and Daljit Singh, purported witnesses in the house sale; and Gurpreet Singh, who allegedly posed as Rahul for the property sale.

The police had submitted seven challans against the accused in April 2021 and the charges were frames in January this year. The trial is underway with 78 listed witnesses, including the victim Rahul Mehta and his cousin Rajiv, who is settled in the UK.