None of the SIT reports submitted to HC in drugs case were given to Punjab: govt
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Replying to the application submitted by LFHRI (Lawyers for Human Rights International) – an intervener in the drugs case – seeking directions to the Punjab government to act upon the reports submitted by the special investigation team (SIT) in 2018, the Punjab government on Wednesday submitted before the high court that “none of the said reports submitted by the SIT to this court were ever handed over to the state of Punjab.
Thus, the allegation levelled in the application that the Punjab government has failed to act upon the said reports is misconceived”.
The Punjab government filed its reply through an affidavit filed by Sarabjit Singh, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Litigation, Bureau of Investigation, Punjab.
It said that “the state of Punjab is duty bound to act in accordance with the directions that may be passed by this court in connection with the said reports submitted by the SIT”.
The affidavit was filed on Wednesday before the division bench of Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan.
A detailed order in the matter was yet to be released by the high court. The hearing in the matter was adjourned to March 28.
The affidavit – filed by Sarabjit Singh – said that on November 28, 2017, the high court had directed that the head of the special task force (STF), Harpreet Singh Sidhu, shall investigate the role of one Inspector Inderjit Singh and the then Senior Superintendent of Police, Moga, Raj Jit Singh Hundal, regarding drug trafficking in Punjab and submit a status report before the court.
Then Hundal moved an application before the high court that he was not likely to get a fair and an impartial investigation at the hands of Sidhu on account of his alleged personal bias against him.
Without going into the veracity of the said allegations, high court modified its earlier order to the extent that the allegations of complicity and close association of Hundal, the then SSP, Moga, with Inderjit Singh, Inspector, emanating out of an FIR pertaining to drug trafficking would be investigated by a three-member SIT comprising DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya and IPS officers Prabodh Kumar and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, mentioned the affidavit of the Punjab AIG.
“It may be seen that the SIT submitted the reports directly to the court in pursuance of the developments on various dates as reflected in the orders dated February 1, 2018, March 15, 2018, and May 23, 2018, passed by the court. Ever since, the said reports have been lying in sealed covers in the custody of this court,” it was added. The high court is hearing the suo motu matter related to drugs case of Punjab.
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