Framed by senior,2 cops acquitted

Dr Marya has also come down heavily on Head Constable Satpal Singh for telling lies and “passing the buck” on to the two constables. Taking strong exception to the fact that the two constables were made “scapegoats”,the CJM has acquitted the two constables,Raghbir Singh and Ashok Kumar. The undertrial Vinod Kumar has been awarded two years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI).

On May 6,2009,when Head Constable Satpal was asked to take two undertrials from Ambala to Panchkula for medical examination. The two,Vinod and Om Parkash,were facing a trial on charges of murder and were to be taken to a Panchkula government hospital from Ambala for medical examination.

As per the “complainant”,after reaching Panchkula the custody of the two undertrials was handed over to the two constables accompanying them. After a little while one of the constables informed the head constable that Vinod Kumar had escaped from custody. Vinod was arrested a few days later.

Squarely blaming the two constables for the escape,the head constable complained to the police but after a delay of seven hours. A case was registered against the two and a prosecution was launched. Raising eyebrows over the delay caused,the Court has held that “the delay gave him time to deliberate and advance a coloured version to avoid his own liability and transfer the buck on to other police officials. The accused fled at around 11 am and the matter was reported to the police at 6 pm”.

Dismissing the story concocted by the “complainant”,Dr Marya held,“There is a strong possibility that the accused persons,namely constables Ashok Kumar and Raghbir Singh,have been made scapegoats. Investigations are not above board. It is not revealed why no medical staff present in the room from where Vinod Kumar had escaped were examined or made witnesses”.

Interestingly,in his statement before the Court the head constable had claimed that Vinod Kumar was not handcuffed when he was brought from Ambala. This claim was not supported by one of the officials of Ambala Jail who submitted that Vinod Kumar was handcuffed.

“He (head constable) spoke lie about handcuffing of the accused. There was no need to lie,” the judgment reads. Further,the head constable had claimed that Vinod Kumar was not medically examined by any doctor before he fled.