Punjab: ‘False affidavit’ in drug case lands DSP, others in dock

The high court has directed the Punjab director general of police (DGP) to probe role of a deputy superintendent of a police (DSP) and other officers associated with the investigation into a drugs seizure case registered in 2023.

The order, from the bench of justice Kuldeep Tiwari, came after it was revealed that a wrong affidavit was filed by Talwandi Sabo DSP Ishan Singla that statement of a key person linked to the case had been recorded and filed with the challan. When cops realised about the goof-up, a supplementary challan was filed in the case appending the statement in question.

“…discussed material not only unearths the shoddy and unprofessional, rather biased investigation of the police official(s)/officer(s) concerned, but, also brings to the fore the audacity of the police official(s)/officer(s) to file false affidavit(s) before this court, in order to justify the implication and arrest of the petitioner in the present case,” the court said deprecating the conduct of the officers “in the strongest terms”.

The court was hearing a bail plea from one Malkeet Singh, arrested in connection with seizure of 2,000 intoxicant tablets. The FIR was registered on October 14, 2023 at the Talwandi Sabo police station. Police had claimed that he fled from the spot and left behind intoxicants and motorcycle in which they recovered a mobile and his Aadhaar card. After he was arrested, his bail plea was rejected by trial court on May 24 following which he Moved the high court in July 2024. In response to the plea, Singla filed an affidavit and content of the same was contested by the petitioner’s lawyer claiming that the challan submitted did not have the statement of bike owner, which police are claiming now and that it was a crucial evidence before laying hands on the petitioner.

The court ordered sealing of the record and summoned the DSP for October 4 hearing wherein he claimed that the statement of Raj Singh, the bike owner, was part of original challan presented on January 19, 2024. However, court found that the statement being cited was undated and no police entry was found in the record about the same. Upon this, court sought a report from the trial court, which revealed that no statement as being claimed by the prosecution was part of the original challan. It also revealed that on November 6, a supplementary challan was filed by the police before trial court with a statement recorded on September 27 of the motorcycle owner with a totally different picture of that was projected earlier.

When the case was taken up on November 11, the court termed the report as “shocking revelations” and observed that “investigating agency played smartly, and, in order to hide its previous misdeeds, it conducted further investigation and then filed a supplementary challan.”

Singla, also filed an affidavit apologizing to the court. But the bench rejected it keeping in view the “gravity” of the matter.

The court observed that the material which has come before it impels it ask the DGP to examine the entire facts and hold an inquiry in respect of the conduct of the officers and others associated with the case. And also ascertain who filed false affidavit. The court has given one month to the DGP seeking his personal affidavit asking that proposed action against all be spelt out. The court made it clear that if response is not filed he would personally remain present on on December 16, the next date of hearing.