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Dead man walks into court to
testify his identity
WSN Network
CHANDIGARH:
Thirteen long years ago, this man was murdered. Five people went to
jail for murdering him. On September 5, the dead man personally
visited the court to confirm his identity.
Welcome to the
brilliant investigative powers, efficiency and diligence of Punjab
police, and the justice dispensing system's now proven ability to
send people to jail for life terms for a murder that not only they
did not commit, but one that no one did.
On Saturday,
Jagseer Singh, murdered as per Punjab Police records, appeared in
the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The 29-year-old, an undertrial in
a robbery case and lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail, was produced in
the court after the police had failed to give a categorical reply as
to whether this "dead man" was the same youth who was allegedly
murdered in 1996. A lower court had awarded life imprisonment to
five persons for murdering Jagseer.
The High Court
had issued notice to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP),
Barnala, to ascertain whether a man who was allegedly murdered in
1996 was alive or not. As per the police investigations, five
persons, including Nachchatar Singh and his son Sheera Singh, had
allegedly murdered Jagseer Singh of Barnala in 1996 and were awarded
life imprisonment by a lower court in 2001.
A few months
back, it came to the fore that Jagseer Singh was alive and living
with a changed identity. Subsequently, all five convicts moved the
High Court, challenging their conviction, demanding compensation and
action against the witnesses and investigating officer.
The allegation
against the cops is that it got disclosure statements from the five
accused in police custody, apart from a bogus witness to support the
murder charge.
A deformed body
was also produced, which was identified by another bogus witness. On
the basis of the police investigation, a lower court awarded life
imprisonment to the accused.
Accompanied by a
posse of cops, Jagseer urged the court to hire a lawyer for him.
Accepting the
request, the court appointed advocate S. S. Randhawa as amicus
curiae in the case. The court also allowed an intervening
application of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking
permission to assist the court. The commission has demanded
compensation for the five persons who were wrongly convicted of the
murder of Jagseer.
Jagseer pleaded
he was innocent and that he did not know anything about his alleged
murder.
9
September 2009
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