Justice After 3 Decades: Tarn Taran Ex-SHO, 3 Cops Get Jail in Fake Encounter

Tarn Taran (The Uttam Hindu): In a significant judgment, a special CBI court in Mohali sentenced former SHO of Sarhali police station, Tarn Taran, Surinderpal Singh, to 10 years of imprisonment in one of two cases involving abduction, illegal detention, disappearance, and murder. The court delivered the verdict on Monday for a 1992 case where two youths were abducted and killed in a fake encounter, with their bodies cremated as "unidentified."

The special court sentenced Surinderpal Singh under various sections, including Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), with 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹2 lakh. For Section 364 (abduction), another 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹2 lakh were imposed. Under Section 365 (kidnapping or wrongful confinement), he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and fined ₹70,000. Additionally, Section 342 (illegal detention) resulted in three years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh. If the fines are not paid, the convict will face an additional two years of imprisonment.

In the second case, former SHO Surinderpal Singh and two police personnel were convicted for abducting Gurnam Singh alias Paali and killing him in a fake encounter. The court sentenced former ASI Gurbachan Singh, SI Resham Singh, and ASI Hans Raj to life imprisonment, along with fines of ₹2 lakh each. According to the chargesheet filed by CBI, Jagdeep Singh alias Makhan was abducted by a police party led by then SHO Gurbachan Singh. Before the abduction, police opened fire at the victim’s house, resulting in the death of his mother-in-law, Sawinder Kaur, on November 18, 1992. Similarly, Gurnam Singh alias Paali was abducted from his house on November 21, 1992, by the same team. Both youths were killed in a fake encounter on November 30, 1992. This judgment marks a crucial step in delivering justice in long-pending cases of police excesses during the turbulent period in Punjab.