CHANDIGARH: A former senior superintendent of police, Gurmeet Singh Randhawa, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment by a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali on Thursday for the kidnapping and disappearance of transporter Amrik Singh Shakri in Ludhiana in 1992, nearly 34 years after the incident.
The court had convicted Randhawa on Wednesday under Sections 365 (kidnapping) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was awarded five years' imprisonment under Section 365 and two years under Section 120B, with both sentences to run concurrently.
A constable, Parminderjit Singh, alias Babbu, who was also booked in the case, was acquitted. Randhawa appeared before the court through video conferencing.
At the request of the complainant's counsel, the court also referred the case to the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for the grant of compensation to the victim.
CBI public prosecutor Jai Hind Patel, advocate Pushpinder Singh Natt, counsel for the victim, and complainant's advocate Sarabjeet Singh Verka said the court awarded Randhawa five years' imprisonment under Section 365, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. He also received a two-year sentence under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code and was fined Rs 25,000. Both sentences will run concurrently.
Another advocate, HS Dhanoa, who was counsel in the case, said the court acquitted co-accused constable Parminderjit Singh for lack of evidence.
Proceedings against Inspector Suba Singh, Sub-Inspector Surinder Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswant Singh were abated following their deaths.
Police then posted Randhawa as DSP (Detective) in Tarn Taran. Shakri never returned home, and his whereabouts remained unknown. Sakri's family approached senior police officers and sent telegrams to several authorities, seeking his release. However, he could not be found.
Following a habeas corpus petition filed by Shakri's wife in 1996, the Punjab Government informed the court that Sakri had died and submitted 'bhog' advertisements in support of its claim. The family disputed the claim. The Supreme Court subsequently ordered a CBI investigation.
The central investigative agency registered a case in February 2000 and filed a chargesheet in 2001 against Randhawa and other police personnel for alleged kidnapping, illegal detention, fabrication of official records and criminal conspiracy.
The trial was delayed for years and formally began in 2022. Of the 47 witnesses cited by the CBI, only 16 could depose during the trial, as several others died before they could testify.
The case dates back to November 25, 1992, when a Tarn Taran police team picked up Shakri from Hotel Amaltas in Ludhiana while he was attending his niece's wedding.