JAIPUR: The ACJM CBI court has decided to proceed with a murder trial against seven police officials allegedly involved in the encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh in 2017 in Rajasthan’s Churu district. The court has taken cognizance under section 302 of the IPC, rejecting the closure report filed earlier by the CBI.
The officers who will now face trial include the then Churu SP Rahul Barath, Additional SP Vidya Prakash Chaudhary, DSP Suryaveer Singh Rathore, RAC Head Constable Kailash Chandra, Constable Dharampal, Constable Dharamveer Singh, and Sohan Singh of RAC.
Anandpal Singh was encountered by the Special Operations Group (SOG) on June 24, 2017, in Malasar village in Churu. Doubts surrounding the encounter prompted Anandpal’s wife, Raj Kanwar, to challenge the CBI’s closure report in 2020. Following a protest petition filed in the ACJM court and a rigorous four-year legal battle, the court has now taken cognizance based on testimonies from two doctors and family members.
Lawyers representing Raj Kanwar, Bhanwar Singh and Tribhuvan Singh Rathore, asserted that the incident was not a legitimate encounter but rather an orchestrated killing where Anandpal was allegedly shot at close range, a claim supported by medical evidence and witness accounts presented in court. The court has directed Raj Kanwar to furnish a list of witnesses by October 16.
Former IG of SOG, Dinesh MN highlighted Anandpal’s criminal history, linking him to multiple murders including that of Gopal Phogat and Jeevanram Godhara in 2006.