In a significant legal development, the Chhattisgarh High Court on Wednesday quashed three FIRs filed against 1994-batch IPS officer GP Singh in connection with charges of disproportionate assets, extortion, and sedition. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal ruled in favor of Singh, citing the lack of substantial evidence and procedural lapses in the cases.
Details of the Ruling:
The court’s decision followed arguments from Singh’s counsel, Himanshu Pandey, who pointed out critical flaws in the cases against the officer:
Disproportionate Assets Case: The court noted that the person from whose custody a 1 kg gold bar was seized was not made an accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Additionally, the scooty from which the gold bar was recovered was not registered in Singh’s name.
Extortion Case: The FIR was filed after a delay of six years, and the complainant did not have any direct connection with Singh, nor was he known to the officer.
Sedition Case: The court observed that the original documents allegedly containing seditious content were never produced before the court. Moreover, the videography conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) did not show sufficient evidence to prove that Singh was involved in tearing the papers in question.
The court ruled that the FIRs appeared to have been filed solely for the purpose of harassment, with no tangible evidence to support the serious charges.
Background:
The quashing of the FIRs comes as a major relief for Singh, who had been embroiled in multiple legal battles following his arrest in January 2022. Singh, who was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) after raids at his residence uncovered assets worth Rs 10 crore and sensitive documents, had been suspended in July 2021. He had also faced charges of sedition.
Singh, a 1991-batch IPS officer, was later granted bail by the high court in May 2022, after spending several months in judicial custody. He had consistently maintained that the charges against him were politically motivated. His legal team argued that he was victimized by the previous state government administration due to his refusal to bow to political pressure during investigations into high-profile cases like the Nagrik Apoorti Nigam (NAN) scam.
In addition to the FIRs, Singh faced compulsory retirement imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in July 2023, based on recommendations from the state government. However, earlier this year, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ruled in his favor, stating that the order of compulsory retirement was issued as a punitive measure to avoid a departmental inquiry.
Singh’s Legal Stand:
Singh had submitted before the CAT that during his tenure as ADGP-ACB/EOW, he had come under intense political pressure to manipulate investigations. His refusal to comply with illegal demands led to the filing of multiple FIRs against him, which were later determined to be baseless.
The Chhattisgarh High Court’s judgment has now cleared the way for Singh, signaling a major victory in his long-running legal battle and offering a significant boost to his defense against allegations of political vendetta.
What’s Next:
While the FIRs against Singh have been quashed, his legal team continues to fight for his reinstatement, and the officer remains active in contesting the political and procedural ramifications of his forced retirement.
This decision is expected to have broader implications for the handling of politically sensitive cases and the protection of public servants against baseless legal actions.
