1991 Multani murder case: SC refuses to quash fresh FIR against ex-Punjab DGP Saini

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to interfere with a fresh FIR lodged against former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the 1991 disappearance and murder of junior engineer Balwant Singh Multani.

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Pankaj Mithal said that in view of the subsequent development of a charge sheet being filed in the case, it would not like to interfere with the FIR. The top court, however, said that observations and findings recorded in the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict dated September 8, 2020, will not come in the way of proceedings before the trial court.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Saini, sought quashing of the FIR, saying it was lodged in 2020 after decades of the alleged incident due to political reasons. He said that time and again this court had granted relief to Saini, who is a decorated officer, and even protected him from any coercive action in the case. Justice Sundresh said that since the charge sheet has been filed in the case, it cannot go into quashing FIR at this stage.

The bench said Saini can face the proceedings before the trial court and can challenge them before an appropriate forum. On January 5, 2021, the top court asked the Punjab government to place on record the charge sheet filed in the fresh FIR lodged against Saini in the case.

The top court had already granted anticipatory bail to Saini in the fresh case lodged in the 1991 disappearance and murder of Multani. On December 3, 2020 the top court had granted anticipatory bail to Saini in a fresh case lodged in the 1991 incident. It had set aside an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court declining him the pre-arrest bail in the 33-year-old case.