Advocate Sukhmanpreet Singh aka Sippy SidhuALTHOUGH THE family of slain advocate Sukhmanpreet Singh aka Sippy Sidhu, 36, termed the arrest of Kalyani Singh, the daughter of Acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Sabina, a step towards justice, there have been many ups and downs in the six-year-long investigation in the case.
“Once a senior Chandigarh Police officer himself suggested in December 2015 that we demand the transfer of investigation to CBI or any other Central investigation agency. The senior police officer had expressed his inability to arrest the suspect citing being ‘under pressure’. The investigation in the murder case of my brother had been botched up in the initial stage. This was mentioned in the cancellation report filed by the CBI in December 2020. The CBI had recommended disciplinary action against certain police officers,” Jasmanpreet Singh aka Jippy Sidhu told The Indian Express. The family had met the then Union Law Minister and Home Minister seeking justice.
“There were many reasons why we were not able to gather enough evidence against Kalyani Singh, daughter of the then sitting justice in Punjab and Haryana High Court, despite the fact that we had identified a mehandi artist whose phone was reportedly used by Kalyani Singh for calling Sippy Sidhu to meet her in a public park in Sector 27. A woman resident whose house is situated near the park in Sector 27 had claimed to identify the woman with a pony tail who accompanied Sippy Sidhu prior to his murder. Even a laptop of Sippy Sidhu, which reportedly contained certain objectionable pictures of the accused was found from the victim’s house,” said a police officer requesting anonymity. The police officer was attached with the case investigation at the initial stage.
R P Upadhyay, the 1991 batch AGMUT cadre IPS officer, was then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chandigarh. Sukhchain Singh Gill, the 2003 batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, was then SSP, Chandigarh.
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Prior to handing over the investigation to the CBI, accused Kalyani Singh, who was then a prime suspect, was grilled twice by the Chandigarh Police at police lines, Sector 26, in October 2016. The second questioning of Kalyani Singh was videotaped.
“Prior to arresting Kalyani Singh today, we grilled her many times. We collected relevant evidence, including a partial registration number of a white Zen which was used by the assailants to escape. There are many things which are yet to be corroborated,” a senior CBI officer said.
In 2017, the CBI had put out an advertisement in newspapers stating that there is a reason to believe that a woman was accompanying Sippy’s killer at the time of the murder. The said woman is also being given this opportunity to come forward and contact us if she is innocent. Otherwise, it shall be presumed that she was party to the offence. In December 2020, the CBI had filed an untraced report in the court and mentioned that investigation may be allowed to open and continue as it has brought strong suspicion qua the role of a woman to eliminate Sippy Sidhu.
Meanwhile, an apple iPhone which was found near Sippy’s body had been a mystery for the police and the CBI for at least three years. Investigation agencies expected to receive vital information about the assailants from the iPhone which could only operate with the finger expression of Sippy. Later, the iPhone was opened in a forensic laboratory.
Time Line:
September 20, 2015: Sippy Sidhu is found dead in Sector 27 public park near the house of a former Punjab state minister. An FIR is registered by Chandigarh Police.
October 18, 2015: Kalyani Singh, daughter of Justice Sabina, then posted in Punjab and Haryana High Court, is questioned by Chandigarh Police twice. The questioning is videotaped. Later, Kalyani is let off.
November 2015: A CFSL report suggests that .12 bore gun was used in Sippy’s murder.
December 13, 2015: Family members of Sippy Sidhu meet UT Police officers demanding the transfer of investigation to CBI.
April 14, 2016: The investigation is transferred to the CBI, which registers a fresh FIR.
September 6, 2016: CBI announces a reward of Rs 5 lakh for providing any info about the killers.
December 20, 2020: CBI files an untraced report and mentions that investigation may be allowed to open and continue it.
December 11, 2021: CBI enhances the reward money from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
February 2022: Kalyani Singh questioned by CBI.
June 15, 2022: Kalyani Singh is summoned for questioning at CBI zonal headquarters in Sector 30. She is arrested and remanded in four-day police custody.
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