Rape case against ex-SAD minister: Sucha Singh Langah ‘surrenders’ in Chandigarh, court says go to Gurdaspur

Sucha Singh Langah at the district court in Chandigarh Monday. Sahil Walia

IN a daylong drama, former Punjab Cabinet minister Sucha Singh Langah, wanted in a rape case, came to Chandigarh Monday, ‘surrendered’ in a court but walked free over the issue of “jurisdiction.”

Minutes after his plea to surrender was turned down by the court citing “jurisdiction issue,” Langah gave a statement to mediapersons, alleging “political vendetta” against him. He also appealed to Gurdaspur voters to vote for BJP’s candidate Swaran Singh Salaria in the forthcoming bypoll on October 11. The Punjab Police, looking for Langah since Friday, were left clueless. Later in the  evening, Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) H S Bhullar said, “We couldn’t reach Chandigarh on time. We are in touch with the Mohali police to keep track of Langah.”

Langah appeared in the court of a duty magistrate in Chandigarh around 2 pm and made a plea that he wanted to surrender in the court in connection with a rape case registered against him in Gurdaspur on September 28. However, the court of duty magistrate — Judicial Magistrate First Class Hirdejit Singh — declined the plea and told him to “surrender in the local court at Gurdaspur.” Langah was accompanied by a couple of family members and a battery of lawyers. His plea was rejected at 4 pm.

Harpreet Singh Brar, one of the advocates representing Langah, said, “Three FIRs were registered against Sucha Singh Langah since August 20 and in  two of the FIRs, he obtained bail from Punjab and Haryana High Court. It is all political vendetta against my client. We have not yet got a copy of the court order. We will decide next course of action after going through the court’s order.”

Langah told mediapersons outside the courtroom, “This is a false case. I have full faith in the court. We will bring the truth out in the court. Sukhi [Congress MLA from Dera Baba Nanak Sukhjinder] Randhawa and [Gurdaspur city] DSP A D Singh has got this case filed against me and it is done to win the byelection. My only appeal to my workers is that — I am 65 years old and diabetic for 24 years —that if I have done some good to anyone and if they want to help me, each worker of Gurdaspur should vote for BJP so that they (opponents) do not succeed in their design. I am ready to give any sacrifice. I have full faith in law.” Asked about the ‘viral’ video on social media, Langah said, “That is totally false. We will tell the court what the reality is.”

Randhawa, when contacted, said, “I have nothing to do with it (the case). Langah is facing the consequences of misdeeds he committed.” He added, “Langah was awarded three years in jail in a disproportionate assets case. And he was sentenced when SAD-BJP alliance was in power. I want to ask Langah: Was I responsible for that too? Did I make disproportionate assets for him for which he was convicted? He is leveling baseless allegations. A woman who studied with his daughter has alleged rape and police have registered a case.”

DSP A D Singh also refuted the allegations saying, “The complainant had approached the SSP and had attached a pen drive. Even if she had not submitted a pen drive, the police were bound to register a case, especially according to the guidelines issued after the December 2011 gangrape case in Delhi.” Meanwhile, sources in the district court said, “As Langah appeared in the court and moved his plea to surrender in the court, a message was sent to Chandigarh Police control room for sending area police personnel in the court. The message was further forwarded to Station House Officer of Sector 36 police station Inspector Nasib Singh, who came to the district court.”

Inspector Nasib Singh said, “We received a message from the police control room and rushed to the court complex. As the application of surrender of Langah was rejected, we came back.” When asked whether they made any attempt to arrest the former Punjab minister, Inspector Singh said, “He is not wanted by the Chandigarh Police. Moreover, we do not have any information about his involvement in any criminal case nor had the Punjab Police informed us about Langah.”

Gurdaspur SSP HS Bhullar told The Indian Express that he had written to the authorities of Facebook, YouTube as well as the Cyber Crime Branch to find out who uploaded the video clip on social media that some claim was the same as the one that the victim submitted to the police as evidence against Langah.