The Supreme Court on Friday stayed till further orders a CBI investigation ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court against Punjab Vigilance Bureau chief Sumedh Singh Saini and other police officials for their alleged involvement in a fake encounter case. The case dates back to December 1991 involving alleged militant Balwant Singh Multani. Saini was then SSP, Chandigarh.A Bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal also issued notices to the CBI besides other respondents on a petition filed by the Punjab Government seeking an “urgent” intervention from the apex court challenging the High Court’s order.According to the petition, Multani, son of a retired IAS officer Darshan Singh Multani, had escaped from police custody on December 19, 1991. He was alleged to be one of the six proclaimed offenders (POs) who were behind the terrorist strike that took place on August 29, 1991. In the attack, Saini was seriously injured along with several security and CRPF personnel. The HC on May 30, 2007, suo motu directed trial court to place a detailed report about all six POs, including Multani. Following which, it passed a series of orders like setting up of a special investigating team to inquire into the POs and issuing notice to the CBI.Acting on an application filed by Multani’s father, the HC on October 5, 2007 directed the CBI to inquire about the allegations against disappearance of his son at the behest of Saini, the application alleged. Pursuant to which, the CBI on July 2, 2008 filed a criminal case against Saini, the then DSP (Chandigarh) Harshay Sharma and the then sub-inspectors posted at the Police Station Central, Chandigarh, Jagir Singh.On July 4, 2008, the High Court had ordered the investigating agency to complete the investigations within four months.
