After a Gurdaspur court rejected the anticipatory bail of Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh, Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday put a stay on the arrest, while directing him to join the investigation.
Counsel for Salwinder, Maninder Singh Bajwa submitted that the petitioner has been falsely implicated in this case on the basis of a false complaint. He said the complainant had earlier also lodged complaint in this regard and the officer was given a clean chit after the enquiry.
He contended that now after a lapse of two years, the complainant again raised the same complaint and the probe found the officer guilty. The Bench of Justice MMS Bedi, having heard the submissions of the petitioner, issued notice of motion to the state for September 23 to file reply and ordered the absconding officer to join investigation at the earliest. Gurdaspur Additional District and Sessions Judge, Kamaljit lamba, had denied anticipatory bail to Salwinder Singh on August 11.
Salwinder Singh is an accused in a case of rape and corruption that was registered against him on August 3 on the complaint of a Gurdaspur resident, who had alleged that Salwinder Singh exploited his wife physically for dropping charges of rape against the complainant. The complainant had also accused Salwinder Singh of asking Rs 50 thousand as bribe from him.
The complainant had taken his complaint to Punjab Chief Minister during the Sangat Darshan and the probe was conducted thereafter.
Salwinder Singh, posted as Assistant Commandant with 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police at Jalandhar, is the same police officer, who was kidnapped by Pakistani terrorists, before they attacked the Pathankot Air Force Base early this year. He was quizzed by National Investigation Agency after the Pathankot attack too.