Court Stays Probe In All Cases Against Punjab Ex-Top Cop Till February 2022

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier ordered the release of former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini from the custody of Vigilance Bureau, terming his arrest as "abuse of process of law".

Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday stayed the investigations, in connection with multiple cases, against former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini till polls in Punjab which are due in February 2022. "Considering it to be a case of exceptional circumstances and hardship being caused to petitioner by State of Punjab (on political grounds), there'll be a clear stay for the arrest of the petitioner in all cases, till polls in Punjab is held which are due in Feb 2022 onwards," further directed the High Court. "There will be a clear stay for conducting further investigation in all FIRs pending against him as attempts are made to arrest him in the aid of Sec 120-B IPC as even in previous FIRs where such attempts are made and he had to file repeated petitions before this Court," the High Court directed. Earlier, on August 18, Mr Saini was arrested in the land fraud case in Mohali when he went to the Vigilance Bureau (VB) office in connection with another case of disproportionate assets.