High Court Upholds SIT Probe in IPS Officer Death Case
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation that sought to transfer the investigation into the death of Haryana-cadre IPS officer Y Puran Kumar to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The court observed that the ongoing Special Investigation Team probe was proceeding appropriately and no case had been made out for interference.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry delivered the verdict on Wednesday, noting that the SIT headed by the Inspector General of Chandigarh Police had been constituted promptly on October 10, just three days after the officer's death on October 7.
Court's Rationale for Dismissing the Petition
In its detailed observation, the court stated: "From the aforesaid, it does not appear that there is any unnecessary delay or laxity in the conduct of the investigation. In view of the above, no case for handing over the investigation to any independent agency is made out."
The bench emphasized that the investigation was being carried out in a transparent and timely manner by the SIT, and no extraordinary circumstances existed to justify intervention by another agency.
Chandigarh Administration's Stance
Senior standing counsel Amit Jhanji, representing the Chandigarh Administration, strongly opposed the PIL, questioning both its maintainability and bona fides. He described the petition as "nothing but a publicity stunt" and highlighted the prompt actions taken by authorities.
Jhanji informed the court that police had acted with immediate effect - an FIR was registered on October 9 and the SIT was constituted the very next day. He provided a detailed status report indicating that 14 people had been named in the FIR and 22 witnesses had been examined under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The investigation team had collected 21 exhibits and secured CCTV footage, which had been sent for forensic examination, demonstrating the thoroughness of the ongoing probe.
Petitioner's Claims and Court's Scrutiny
The PIL had been filed by a Ludhiana resident claiming to be a public-spirited citizen. The petition alleged that the investigation into the "mysterious" death of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar had not progressed since none of the senior officers named in the suicide note had been questioned.
However, the bench noted that despite being asked at the previous hearing, counsel for the petitioner had failed to cite a single Supreme Court judgment to show that the case met the guidelines for transferring a probe to an independent agency.
The court concluded that the existing investigation mechanism was adequate and that the petitioner had not established sufficient grounds for transferring the case to the CBI, thereby dismissing the petition entirely.
