CBI Court Sentences Six, Including Former IGP and IDES Officer, to 8 Months Imprisonment for Forcible Detention in Mohali Case

(Judicial Quest News Network)

In a landmark ruling today, December 20, 2024, a Special Judge for CBI cases in Punjab, Mohali, convicted and sentenced six individuals, including a senior police officer and a government servant, to eight months in prison and imposed a total fine of Rs. 39,000 in connection with a high-profile case of forcibly detaining a person from lawful police custody. The convicted included Shri Gautam Cheema, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Punjab; Shri Ajay Chaudhary, an officer of the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES); and four private individuals: Varun Utreja, a former advocate; Ms. Rashmi Negi; Vicky Verma; and Aryan Singh.

The case, which came to light after an investigation ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stemmed from an incident on December 31, 2020, involving the unlawful removal of Sumedh Gulati from the custody of Mohali Police Station (Phase-I) by the accused. The accused had forcibly taken Gulati, who had been arrested earlier in connection with another case, to Max Hospital in Phase 6, Mohali, where a complainant related to the case was receiving medical treatment.

The prosecution detailed a disturbing sequence of events that unfolded on August 26, 2014, at approximately 11:00 PM, when then IGP Gautam Cheema, accompanied by Ajay Chaudhary and others, arrived at PS-Phase-I in an allegedly intoxicated state. In an unprecedented move, they forcibly took Sumedh Gulati from the police station, placing him in a private vehicle and driving him to the hospital. Once there, they confined Gulati to a room and allegedly threatened a complainant, demanding that she withdraw her accusations against Cheema.

Following the transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 4, 2020, in compliance with the High Court’s orders, a detailed probe was conducted, leading to the filing of a chargesheet on December 31, 2020. After a thorough trial, the court found all six accused guilty of the crimes, sentencing them to eight months of imprisonment and levying a fine of Rs. 39,000.

This conviction marks a significant judicial victory in the fight against the misuse of power, bringing justice to the victims of the unlawful detention case and setting a stern precedent for such actions.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *