Express News Service: Fri Oct 01 2010: Chandigarh:
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Ajay Tewari issued notices to the Punjab director general of police (DGP), the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), two deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) and six other officers who are continuing in service despite being convicted in criminal cases. The order was issued on a PIL filed by advocate H C Arora.
The petitioner has alleged that as per information obtained by him under the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005, two DSPs — Ravinder Kumar and Ravinderpal Anand — who were convicted for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment were still continuing in service. The petitioner has alleged that Ravinder was convicted in a murder case on March 4, 2003. He was dismissed from service the same year but was reinstated in 2004 as his sentence was suspended and he was granted bail by the High Court.
Ravinderpal is continuing in service despite his conviction on murder charges on December 16, 2007. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was granted bail by the High Court on May 30, 2008. His appeal is pending before the HC. Another appeal seeking approval to the proposal sent by the state government to dismiss him in pending before the PPSC .
The other six police officers, who are in service despite conviction for murder, are ASI Malwinder Singh, Constable Manjeet Singh, Constable Dalveer Singh, Head Constable Jaswant Singh and Constable Gurcharan Singh. Inspector Harinder Pal Singh, convicted on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, is also continuing in service. The petitioner said Gurcharan Singh, Manjeet Singh, Malvinder Singh and Jaswant Singh, who were dismissed from service, were later reinstated by the state government.