A trial court in Mohali in Punjab on Saturday issued an arrest warrant against former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in connection with a 29-year-old kidnapping-murder case. Saini has been evading arrest after leaving behind his security cover.The trial court has directed the police to present Saini before it by September 25.Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had dismissed the retired police officer's anticipatory bail plea in the kidnap-murder of Balwant Singh Multani, a junior engineer with the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation in 1991. Saini has since moved the Supreme Court.After the former Director General of Police (DGP) absconded, a special investigation team of Punjab Police has been conducting raids in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and New Delhi to arrest him.The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had denied Saini's wife's claim that the ex-DGP's security had been withdrawn, thus endangering his life.
The kidnap-murder case against Saini is related to a bomb attack on him by the Khalistan Liberation Force militants in 1991 when he was the Senior Superintendent of Police in Chandigarh. He survived with injuries, but his three security personnel were killed.A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Multani's disappearance began in 2007 against Saini but he got relief from the Supreme Court and the probe was stopped.Based on a fresh complaint, a case was registered under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 344 (wrongful confinement), 330 (voluntarily causing hurt to exhort confession) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code in SAS Nagar adjoining Chandigarh on May 7 against Saini.Later, Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC was added against the former DGP.Saini, also facing trial in a Special CBI court in Delhi for the alleged abduction of businessman Vinod Kumar, his brother-in-law Ashok Kumar, and their driver, moved the Supreme Court on Friday for anticipatory bail.