Balwant Singh Multani Murder Case: Former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini granted anticipatory bail by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to former Punjab Police Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini in the Balwant Singh Multani murder case. .A three-judge Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah stated that in case Saini is arrested in the other FIRs under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code, then he be released after a personal bond of Rs. 1 lakh is furnished. .Balwant Singh Multani murder case: Supreme Court seeks Punjab govt reply in former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini's plea for anticipatory bail.The court held that "a long delay like 29 years as in the present case can certainly be a valid consideration for grant of anticipatory bail.".In his plea filed through Advocate Misha Rohatgi, Saini had challenged the Punjab & Haryana High Court’s September 7 order dismissing his anticipatory bail plea in the Multani kidnapping and murder case..Multani, a junior engineer with Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation, was allegedly picked up by the police in December 1991 after an attack on Saini that killed three policemen. Saini was injured in the attack.In May 2020, Saini was booked at a police station in Mohali along with six others for the alleged kidnapping of Multani in 1991. A murder charge was added in August 2020 after two of the accused policemen came clean about the incident..Appearing for Saini, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi had argued that the case against his client was due to political vendetta, as the former DGP had lodged cases against current Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. "There cannot be a third FIR in the same incident. Supreme Court had also recorded that second FIR cannot be registered. There is no material apart from a self-serving statement by an accused similarly placed who was granted anticipatory bail. This is a case of political vendetta," Rohatgi had submitted. .Narrating the facts of the case, Rohatgi had said,"There was a bomb blast in 1991 in Chandigarh and the idea was to assassinate Saini. FIR was registered in Chandigarh Sector 17. Balwant Multani was arrested in December '91. It is the case of Multani's father that Multani was tortured by the petitioner. It was the case of the State that Multani escaped and was never found. He was not seen since 1991.".Balwant Singh Multani murder case: Supreme Court expresses inclination to grant anticipatory bail to former Punjab DGP, reserves order.Rohatgi had pointed out how a fresh FIR was registered against Saini on May 6, 2020."On May 5, Multani's brother filed an FIR saying he was scared till petitioner was DGP. He says in 2015, one police officer had revealed that Saini was torturing people. But he kept quiet and filed complaint only in May 2020. Police records that the Supreme Court verdict is only on a technical aspect of the case. Thus, FIR was registered against Saini and two other officers who had allegedly tortured Multani in 1991. My client gets anticipatory bail by a detailed judgment on May 11, 2020 by Sessions Court.".The FIR against Saini was registered on the basis of the statements of two police officers who were granted anticipatory bail along with the former DGP.Rohatgi complained that further cases were being registered against Saini, with the latest one in Faridkot for a firing that happened when he was a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Chandigarh..Balwant Singh Multani murder case: Supreme Court grants former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini interim protection from arrest.It was also Saini's case that the Punjab government had no jurisdiction in the case as the alleged torture was in Sector 17 of Chandigarh, which is a Union Territory."State cannot add Section 302 to FIR without leave of trial judge," Rohatgi added..During an earlier hearing, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra representing the State government had contended that Rohatgi was attributing motives to the judge who had rejected Saini's bail plea. He went on to state that the High Court had noted that Saini misused his powers."Court had noted that a person had succumbed to his injury after he was inhumanly treated by the applicant...after his retirement, the accused still has the audacity and power to have some files in his control. How can this be allowed?".Saini is also facing a trial before a Special CBI Court in Delhi for the alleged abduction of automobile businessman Vinod Kumar, his brother-in-law Ashok Kumar, and their driver Mukhtiyar Singh.While Vinod and Mukhtiyar were picked up by the police from the parking lot of the Punjab & Haryana High Court on March 15, 1994, Ashok was allegedly abducted from Ludhiana the same day..[Read judgment]