An Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Punjab was sentenced to eight months in jail by a CBI court on Friday in a criminal conspiracy case involving a convicted felon.
The court of Special Judicial Magistrate, CBI, Megha Dhaliwal, sentenced IGP Gautam Cheema and his five associates Rashmi Negi, Ajay Chaudhary, Varun Utreja, Vicky Verma, Aryan Singh to three months imprisonment under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy). Under Section 186 (duties of any public servant voluntarily obstructing his service), and eight months under Section 225 (resisting or obstructing the lawful apprehension of another person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
However, the court acquitted all the accused for the crimes of kidnapping, house breaking, assault, criminal threats and false imprisonment.
The court noted that the oral and documentary evidence led by the prosecution proved “beyond reasonable doubt” that all the accused had entered into a “criminal conspiracy” and on the night of August 26, 2014 “willfully offered resistance, and unlawfully obstructed the law.” Sumedh Gulati was arrested by the police officer and forcibly taken to Police Station Phase 1. Police of Mohali. …in pursuance of additional criminal conspiracies by this Act obstructed the public functions”.
The incident took place when Sumedh Gulati, a declared criminal, was arrested on August 6, 2074. In the FIR, it is alleged that ASI Dilbagh Singh was working as a duty officer in the phase on August 6 at around 10:45 pm. 1 police station. Head constable Ramesh Kumar brought the accused Gulati to the police station and produced him before Asai.
At around 11 pm, Cheema, who was seen intoxicated with Chaudhary and others, came to the police station and revealed that he was the IGP of Punjab Police and forcibly took Gulati away in his own car.
Dilbagh and other police personnel followed them in a private car. After reaching Max Hospital in Phase 6 of Mohali, the ASI found that Cheema, Sumedh Gulati PO and three-four other persons were present at the Max Hospital where Krippy Khera was admitted, the FIR said. It is also mentioned that in the presence of eyewitnesses, Cheema forcibly kept Gulati there and threatened Khera to withdraw the complaint against him or face dire consequences. He also slapped Gulati. Dilbagh brought Gulati back to the Phase 1 police station and arrested him, according to the FIR.
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