Thirty years after a Phagwara resident was killed in a fake police encounter in 1993, a Special CBI Court in Mohali on Saturday sentenced three former Punjab Police officers to three to eight years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) with fines and acquitted two constables of all charges.
Special Judge-II Baljinder Singh Sra held Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Karamjit Singh, former Inspector Manjit Singh and former Sub-Inspector Gurmej Singh guilty of the crime and acquitted Constables Kashmir Singh and Harjit Singh of all charges.
The court sentenced Karamjit Singh to three years of RI and `50,000 fine; Manjit Singh (then Inspector) to eight years of RI and a fine of `50,000; and, Gurmej Singh (then SI) to eight years of RI and a fine of `50,000.
The court also directed that compensation be paid to the Class-I legal heirs of the deceased, Palwinder Singh, from the fines.
Victim Palwinder Singh’s daughter Bhupinder Kaur has, however, expressed her “dissatisfaction” over the verdict.
“The sentence is too lenient given the severity of the crime,” Bhupinder said, adding that she would move the HC, seeking a harsher punishment for the accused persons.
