NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has awarded Rs 10 lakh compensation to the parents of an advocate Kulwant Singh, who along with his wife and two year old child were allegedly killed by the Punjab police in 1993, when he had gone to a police station in Ropar to meet his client. Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice Faizan Uddin also awarded compensation of Rs 2 lakh to Mr Harpreet Singh alias Lucky who was falsely implicated by the Punjab Police in the murder case and was coerced to make a confession after torturing him about the crime which he had not committed.
Describing the “mysterious and.” the abduction and murder of the advocate and his family as the “most heinous crime against humanity,” the court directed the State Government to take suitable action against. The Deputy Inspector General of Police Sanjiv Gupta for his lack of supervision and other policemen who. ‘Were involved in the case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which had investigated into the case indicated that under pressure from the police and finding no other alternative to save his life Lucky had agreed to accept the murder of Kulwant and his family, the judgment said. The court ordered for the immediate release of Lucky.
‘Transferring the trial from the Designated Court at Ropar to the Designated Court at Chandigarh the two. Apex court judges said that the CBI investigation revealed circumstances which did point a finger of suspicion at the police officers but whether the. Circumstances are sufficient to prosecute them for the abduction and murder of Kulwant Singh and his family is a matter for the Designated Court. They added that the Haryana and Punjab High Court Bar Association and’ the prosecutor can argue before the trial court.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 15, 1996
