Eighteen years after the sensational Moga sex scandal rocked Punjab, a special CBI court in Mohali on Monday delivered its long-awaited verdict, sentencing four former Punjab Police officials for their involvement in a conspiracy to frame prominent businessmen in a false gangrape case to extort money.
CBI Special Judge Rakesh Gupta sentenced former Moga Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Devinder Singh Garcha and the then Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Paramdip Singh Sandhu to five years of rigorous imprisonment, with a fine of Rs two lakh each. The court found them guilty under Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
Two other former officers — then Moga city SHO Sub-Inspector Raman Kumar and then Inspector Amarjit Singh — received stricter sentences for their active role in the extortion racket. Raman Kumar was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined Rs three lakh, while Amarjit Singh received six-and-a-half years’ imprisonment along with a Rs 2.5 lakh penalty. Kumar was additionally convicted under IPC Section 384 (extortion), and Singh under Sections 384 and 511 (attempt to extort).
The court, however, acquitted Barjinder Singh alias Makhan, son of former Akali Minister Tota Singh, and Sukhraj Singh, citing lack of evidence.
A Web of Corruption Unraveled
The scandal, which broke in 2007, during the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP regime, involved an alleged gangrape complaint filed by a young woman from Jagraon at Moga city police station. But as the case unfolded, investigators discovered a deeply-rooted extortion racket involving senior police officials and private individuals who colluded to frame wealthy individuals in false sexual abuse cases for monetary gain.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the probe on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2007, the accused officers abused their official positions to extract bribes from innocent businessmen. The extortion was facilitated by false affidavits sworn by the main complainant, Manjit Kaur, and a minor girl, who would later become approvers in the case.
It was Ranjit Singh, a resident of Bhagike village in Moga, whose complaint blew the lid off the scandal. He alleged that the then SHO Amarjit Singh had demanded Rs 50,000 over the phone to keep his name out of the gangrape FIR. An inquiry led to the registration of a separate corruption case in October 2007.
Conspirators Turned Approvers
The CBI filed a detailed chargesheet in 2009 against nine individuals, including police officers, Manjit Kaur, and two advocates — Karamjit Singh Bath and Ranbir Singh — all residents of Moga district. Manjit Kaur, along with Bath and Ranbir, turned approvers during the investigation. However, in a grim twist, Manjit Kaur and her husband Rajpreet Singh were murdered in Zira in 2018. The minor girl, initially granted a pardon, later turned hostile during the trial.
National Spotlight and Legal Precedents
The case, which drew nationwide attention due to its sensational nature and the involvement of high-ranking officials, highlighted the nexus between law enforcement and corruption. The high court ordered a CBI probe, citing the difficulty of a fair investigation by local police due to political and administrative pressure.
In 2012, the accused were charged under several IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy, extortion, fabrication of evidence, and abuse of official position, in addition to provisions of the PC Act.
