Mohali: A special CBI court in Mohali has convicted former senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh in a nearly 34-year-old case involving the disappearance of transporter Amrik Singh in 1992. Former constable Parminderjit Singh has been acquitted, with the court giving him the benefit of doubt.
The quantum of sentence for the convicted former police officer will be pronounced on Thursday, November 12.
Transporter allegedly picked up from wedding venue
According to the CBI investigation, a Tarn Taran police team picked up Amrik Singh from Hotel Amaltas in Ludhiana on November 25, 1992. He had gone there to attend a wedding ceremony.
His family approached senior police officials and then chief minister Beant Singh in an attempt to trace him, but his whereabouts remained unknown.
In 1996, his wife filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking that he be produced before the court. During the proceedings, the Punjab government informed the court that Amrik Singh had died and submitted newspaper advertisements regarding his bhog ceremony. However, his family challenged the government’s claim.
Evidence and witness records also went missing
Following directions from the Supreme Court, the CBI investigated the case and filed a chargesheet in 2001 against then DSP Gurmeet Singh, inspector Suba Singh, sub-inspector Surinder Singh, constable Parminderjit Singh alias Babbu and ASI Jaswant Singh. The then SSP Ajit Singh Sandhu died during the investigation.
The trial remained stalled for a long period due to orders from higher courts and resumed in 2022.
During this period, several records submitted by the CBI went missing from the court files. These included evidence, witness statements, wedding photographs and videos, and vehicle logbooks. The records were subsequently reconstructed on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Of the 47 witnesses named by the CBI, only 16 could depose before the court. During the prolonged trial, three of the accused police officers also died, leading to the termination of proceedings against them.
Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka represented the complainant’s side, while Anmol Narang appeared for the CBI.
