HC seeks case details

ASSAULT ON LAWYER
Ludhiana: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday sought details of the case of assault on advocate Varun Gupta by Ludhiana STF in-charge Harbans Singh at a dhaba near Doraha. A bench of Justice Lisa Gill has adjourned the case for Tuesday.
Gupta has accused the STF inspector and his team of beating him up on February 25. The bench took on record the claims of the petitioner that no action was taken against the erring police officials even as he was being threatened and pressurised to withdraw his complaint.
Seeking registration of an FIR against the erring cops, the petitioner claimed that Ludhiana civil hospital was not releasing to him his medical report. He said the entire incident was captured in CCTVs installed at Sethi Dhaba and a petrol pump in the vicinity “But the police officials are actively destroying this evidence,” he added.
When the petition came up for hearing, state counsel HS Sitta, while quoting Ludhiana deputy commissioner Pradeep Agarwal, said an inquiry was being conducted into the “unbecoming conduct” of the police officials and a special investigating team (SIT) had been constituted by Khanna SSP. However, the state counsel denied allegations of threats or pressurisation. He sought adjournment of the case to give a detailed reply.
Earlier, petitioner’s counsel DPS Randhawa pointed out that no FIR was registered even a week after the incident and since the complaint was against police officials, a sessions judge should monitor the case. The counsel said the petitioner should be given security as he was facing threats to take back the complaint.
In his complaint to the city police commissioner and other authorities on February 25, Gupta had claimed that a day before when he was returning to Ludhiana from Delhi with his father, who was on a catheter, and driver, STF in-charge Harbans Singh beat him up and maltreated his father at an eatery near Doraha.
‘Was threatened will be framed’
In his plea filed on February 28, the petitioner said he had given a representation to the official respondents (Punjab through its secretary, department of law and justice, Punjab DGP, Ludhiana commissioner of police, Ludhiana STF AIG, and chairperson of Punjab State Human Rights Commission), seeking action against Harbans Singh and three unknown police officials, who first beat him up brutally and then threatened him and his family of dire consequences. He said he was even threatened implication in false cases. The petitioner added that the Ludhiana District Bar Association has been on a strike since last week, but no action has been taken in the case.