Ex-SHO Among Two Awarded Life Term in 1992 Fake Encounter Case

CBI probe found that police falsely implicated 2 youths in murder of a minister's son and killed them in a 'staged' encounter in Amritsar village

- HT Correspondent

MOHALI: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali awarded life imprisonment to former station house officer (SHO) Gurbhinder Singh (72) and former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Purshotam Singh (70) in a 1992 fake encounter case in which two persons were killed at Majitha in Amritsar.

Gurbhinder and Purshotam were convicted by the court of Rakesh Gupta, special judge, CBI, on Friday under Section 302 read with 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for the murder of Baldev Singh, alias Deba, and Lakhwinder Singh, alias Lakha, alias Ford and under Section 218 of the IPC.

The CBI court awarded rigorous life sentences to both the convicts under Sections 302 (murder) read with 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh each under the said sections. The convicts were also awarded two-year jail term and ₹25,000 fine each under Section 218 (offense of a public servant making an incorrect record or writing with the intention of saving someone from punishment or property from forfeiture) of the IPC.

Baldev, who was 25-year-old and married then, was serving in the army as Lance Naik and was on leave while Lakhwinder, was only 15-year-old.