Punjab Police Corruption: SSP, SP, two Inspectors convicted in Moga Sex Scandal case; Sentencing on April 4 | Chandigarh News
MOHALI: The Special CBI Court of Mohali convicted four former Punjab Police officers in connection with the infamous Moga sex scandal case. The verdict, delivered by Special Judge-II Rakesh Gupta on Saturday, found the accused guilty of corruption and extortion-related charges.
The convicted officers include Devinder Singh Garcha, the then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Moga, an IPS officer; Paramdip Singh Sandhu, the then Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Moga; Raman Kumar, the then Station House Officer (SHO), Police Station City, Moga; and Amarjit Singh, Inspector, the then SHO, Police Station City, Moga.
The court found Devinder Singh Garcha and PS Sandhu guilty under Section 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. Similarly, Raman Kumar and Amarjit Singh were convicted under the same provisions of the PC Act and Section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), with Amarjit Singh additionally convicted under Section 384 read with Section 511 IPC.
However, accused Barjinder Singh alias Makhan and Sukhraj Singh were acquitted of all charges. The trial was prosecuted by Anmol Narang, Public Prosecutor for the CBI. The court scheduled the sentencing for April 4.
The case was initially registered by the CBI following directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which, in an order dated December 11, 2007, entrusted the investigation to the agency. The court expressed concerns over the ability of the state police to conduct a fair probe, citing potential political and administrative pressures.
Subsequently, the CBI registered an FIR under Sections 7, 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the PC Act, 1988, along with Sections 384, 211, and 120B IPC. The accused included Amarjit Singh, then SHO of PS City-1, Moga, as well as private individuals Manjit Kaur and Manpreet Kaur.
The investigation revealed that Devinder Singh Garcha, Paramdip Singh Sandhu, Amarjit Singh, and Raman Kumar, in their capacity as public servants, conspired with Barjinder Singh alias Makhan, son of Akali leader Tota Singh, and others to secure illegal financial gains. They allegedly registered false FIRs and implicated innocent persons to extract bribes for their exclusion from cases. The conspiracy involved using false affidavits sworn by Manpreet Kaur, the purported victim and complainant.
During the trial, Manpreet Kaur was granted a pardon and made an approver.
However, she was later declared hostile in court, leading to separate proceedings against her in the Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Mohali. Additionally, accused Ranbir Singh alias Ranu and Karamjit Singh Batth also turned approvers and testified as prosecution witnesses. Another accused, Manjit Kaur, passed away during the trial, leading to the abatement of proceedings against her.
