The property had been attached on orders of court after accused Sukhminder Singh Bains was declared a proclaimed offender but the land is still allegedly being cultivated by the family of the accused.THE PUNJAB and Haryana High Court Friday warned to summon the Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur, to court in case they do not provide clear answers regarding the current status of the property of an accused in a 2011 Hoshiarpur rape case which is being investigated by the Chandigarh Police. The Chandigarh SSP has also been directed to file an affidavit regarding the efforts being made to arrest the accused.
The property had been attached on orders of court after accused Sukhminder Singh Bains was declared a proclaimed offender but the land is still allegedly being cultivated by the family of the accused. On Friday, Justice Rajan Gupta in the order said, “A query has been put to learned State counsel how the land is being cultivated despite attachment. No clear answer is forthcoming. In the interest of justice, one opportunity is granted to him to seek instructions.”
The Chandigarh Police on Friday assured the court that efforts to apprehend the accused will be intensified and a sealed cover report will also be submitted on the next date of hearing. The court had earlier asked the investigating agency whether it requires the assistance of Central Bureau of Investigation to arrest the accused who is suspected to have fled the country in 2012.
The victim, a 35-year-old woman, had permanently shifted to Chandigarh after delivery of a child. The two are currently living in a government accommodation in Chandigarh. On Friday, the court also directed the authorities to provide her the details regarding the outstanding dues so that there is no balance by next date of hearing.
The 35-year-old woman had been allegedly raped by the accused in 2011 at a farmhouse after being intoxicated by him. A video of the act, shot by the accused, later forced her into silence and the abuse continued for several months, the petition before the HC says. She is represented by advocate Anil Malhotra in the case.
The woman left Hoshiarpur in September 2011 when she found that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a girl at a private nursing home in Hoshiarpur despite threats from the accused and left the district for good. The woman came to Chandigarh and took up a job with a private firm here.
When her family learnt about the child in 2012, they took the baby and handed her over to a police station in their area. The child was given back to the mother only after a habeas corpus petition was filed in the High Court. In 2012, the woman approached the Punjab Legal Services Authority for protection and rehabilitation for herself and her child. Her case has remained pending at the High Court since 2012.
