CHANDIGARH: The proceedings in the Beant Singh assassination case were stalled amidst heated arguments between the public prosecutor and the defense counsel over a question posed by the public prosecutor to Dr. Sandeep Singh Sawhney of the Government Medical College, who appeared as a witness in the court of District and Sessions Judge Amar Dut there. During the questioning of Dr. Sawhney, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel S.K. Saxena asked Dr. Sawhney whether any decision was taken to preserve two legs and a skull, which was believed to be of the “human bomb’ Dilawar Singh or not. However, at this point the Defence Counsel D.S. Chimmi, P.S. Hundal and Amar Singh Chahal claimed that the question was a leading question with no bias and was “hit by Section 162 of the Cr PC.” But the CBI counsel S.K. Saxena and R.K. Handa refuted the allegation. The Defense counsel then asked the CBI to produce the case diaries so that it could be established whether Dr. Sawhney had made any statement before the investigating officer. The defense counsel also submitted a written re quest before the District and the Session Judge asking directions to the CBI to produce the case diary of the case in the court to find out if Dr. Sawhney had made any such statement before the investigating officer. However, the CBI counsel Saxena submitted that he had already submitted in writing in the court that no statement of Dr. Sawhney was recorded by the police or CBI earlier. The judge, meanwhile, adjourned the case for later. Earlier, Dr. Ishwar Lohani of the PGI, who had treated Pala Ram, Baldey Singh and Dhanwant Singh at the PGI, de posed in the Sessions Court, which was held in the high security Burail Jail.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 25, 1996
