Punjab IAS son abduction-murder case: Trial begins against former DGP Sumedh Saini

Chandigarh: Four years after the case was registered, the trial against former Punjab Police DGP Sumedh Saini has begun in the 1989 abduction and murder case of IAS officer’s son Balwant Singh Multani.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a charge sheet in December 2020, accusing Saini under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder.

In a Mohali court on Monday, the 500-page charge sheet, which lists around 47 witnesses, was handed over to Saini’s lawyers and former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) KIP Singh. The next hearing is scheduled for November 26, although Saini did not appear in court, citing an exemption.

The charge sheet includes charges under IPC sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (causing hurt), 219 (public servant disobeying law), and 120 (concealing design to commit offense).

Former sub-inspectors Jagir Singh and Kuldeep Singh have been named as witnesses, while sub-inspectors Anoop Singh and Harsahai Sharma were cleared of involvement after investigation.

The case, which had previously been stayed by the Supreme Court, saw other accused, former DSP Baldev Singh Saini and Inspector Satvir Singh, pass away before trial. KIP Singh, also named in the investigation, remains a key figure in the proceedings.