28-year-old legal battle ends,three acquitted for murdering 21-yr-old

On July 8,1985,Allah Singh,received a phone call informing that his son Inderjeet Singh had died. Inderjeet’s body was found hanging in the rented accommodation. Police had dismissed it as a case of suicide. Allah Singh refused to believe that his son had committed suicide. No suicide note was recovered from the spot.

The Chandigarh Police had lodged a Daily Dairy Report (DDR) dubbing it a case of suicide. Refusing to give in,Allah Singh approached the Ministry of Home Affairs which directed the Inspector General of Police,Chandigarh to investigate the case properly after which a special investigation team was constituted.

Following detailed investigation,the SIT registered a case of homicide. An FIR was registered on September 24,1985 against the four accused Hardev Singh,the landlord,his wife and two sons Harpreet Singh and Khushwant Singh. Khushwant was a juvenile then.

The ordeal continued for Inderjit’s ageing father. In July 1986 the investigating officer was sent back to Punjab as he was on deputation. Suspecting foul play in the investigation after the transfer of the initial investigating officer,Allah Singh moved the Supreme Court demanding transfer of the case to some other investigating agency. The probe was then transferred to the Patiala Police.

After investigations,Patiala Police said it was case of suicide following which an application to cancel the FIR was moved. Crying foul,Allah Singh filed a protest petition against the cancellation of the FIR in March 1988.

Allah Singh yet again moved the Supreme Court and demanded a CBI probe into the case following which the inquiry was handed over to the CBI in 1990. The premier investigating agency,after investigation,also filed a cancellation report in 1994.

Refusing to give a quiet burial to the case,Allah Singh again opposed the cancellation report and filed a cancellation report before lower Court in November 1994.

A lower Court then ordered a reinvestigation as the CBI had failed to produce the investigation report.

When the CJM court asked the CBI to produce the report,CBI took a plea. Setting aside the objection the court ordered CBI to produce the same. In the said report the investigating officer had held it to be a case of murder.

The case was then transferred to the Sessions court after recording preliminary evidence in 1998. In 2002,trial started in a Sessions court. The case was then transferred to a special CBI Court in 2005 (it was in 2005 that a special CBI Judge was appointed to deal with CBI cases).

Prosecution demanded for additional evidence but the plea was rejected. Complainant filed a revision petition in High Court against the order. High court allowed Allah Singh’s application.