PATIALA, Dec 2: Two leading doctors of Patiala, Dr Surinder Singh Sandhu and Dr Hardip Singh Sohal, have been chargesheeted under Section 120-B read with Section 302 and 34 of the IPC in connection with the murder of Dr Megh Raj Goyal, a leading psychiatrist of Patiala, on February 6, 1992.Orders to this effect were passed by B.C. Rajput, additional judge of the designated court, on November 11 last, according to a certified copy of the court orders available here today.The judge also observed that a case under Section 3 (3) of the TADA was also made out against the accused, Dr Surinder Singh Sandhu and Dr Hardeep Singh Sohal, and ordered that they be chargesheeted accordingly.The judge ordered that the interim bail already granted to the accused on June 6, 1998, and July 7, 1998, was confirmed till the decision of the case. However, the court has ordered that the accused would not leave the country without the prior permission of the court and they would also not try to tamper with the prosecution evidence in any manner.According to the prosecution story, Dr Megh Raj Goel and his wife Dr Suman Rani Goel, after completing their higher education in England, returned to India in 1989, and in January 1990 started Goyal Psychiatric Hospital in Punjabi Bagh in Patiala. They gained quick popularity in their profession and this affected the business of Dr S.S. Sandhu. Dr Hardeep Singh Sohal and Dr Surinder Singh Sandhu were close friends and they were known to Balwinder Singh alias Fauji alias Pradhan, accused (proclaimed offender).The prosecution had contended that all the three accused during the period from December 1991 to February, 1992 hatched a criminal conspiracy with the objective of eliminating Dr Megh Raj Goel and to strike terror among the public in general and the doctors in particular with a view to discouraging and preventing them from running any psychiatric clinic at Patiala. They agreed to pay Rs 2 lakh to accused Balwinder Singh. To execute the plan Balwinder Singh fired from his revolver at Dr Megh Raj Goel at about 10 p m on February 6, 1992. At that time Dr Goel was going to his clinic along with his wife Dr Suman Rani Goel. Dr Goel received grievous fire-arm injuries. He was shifted to Rajindra Hospital here where he was operated upon but he succumbed to his injuries on February 7, 1992 at 6.25 p.m.Originally the case was registered by the police station civil lines, Patiala, under Section 307/34 IPC and 25 of the Arms Act and subsequently offences under Sections 382, 302 IPC and Sections 4/5 of the TADA were added. The Punjab and Haryana high court had, vide its order of July 9, 1996, on a petition filed by Dr Suman Rani Goel, entrusted the investigations to the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI).The designated court said that from the record it was found that there were no immediate prospects of the arrest of the accused Balwinder Singh, who had already been declared proclaimed offender. It ordered that proceedings under Section 299 CrPC. be started against him and evidence be recorded in his absence.
