Chhattisgarh govt moves SC, files caveats against IPS officer booked under sedition law in graft case

PTI, Jul 10, 2021, 3:16 PM IST

New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh government has moved the Supreme Court by filing caveats against G P Singh, an IPS officer suspended earlier this week in a disproportionate assets case and later booked for sedition.

The Chhattisgarh Police have booked Singh in the disproportionate assets case following raids at his premises by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

According to police, the documents recovered during the raids revealed that Singh was allegedly involved in promoting enmity and hatching a conspiracy against the established government and public representatives and was booked under sedition charges.

The state government has filed two caveats through its standing counsel Sumeer Sodhi seeking to be heard before any order is passed by the court in a case related to suspension of the officer and in the disproportionate assets case.

Singh was booked under IPC sections 124-A (sedition) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) of the IPC at Raipur’s City Kotwali Police Station late on Thursday night.

On Friday, the officer approached the high court seeking a stay on the probe of the state ACB and EOW in the disproportionate assets case lodged against him last week.

The officer, in his petition before the high court, contended that action was taken against him with prejudice.

Singh has also sought that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or other independent agencies to ensure a fair probe.

An Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank officer of the 1994 IPS batch, Singh, who was posted as director of the state police academy, was suspended on July 5 after the ACB/EOW, on June 29, registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the disproportionate assets he had allegedly amassed.

The ACB/EOW, which carried a three-day search at around 15 locations linked to Singh from July 1 to 3, claimed to have discovered movable and immovable assets worth around Rs 10 crore.

During the raid at the official residence of Singh, torn pieces of paper were found from the backyard of the house.

When the pieces were rearranged, serious and sensitive contents were found to be written and typed on it, the FIR said.

“These papers contained objectionable comments against leaders of reputed political parties along with detailed plans of conspiracy.

Besides, secret assessments related to representatives and candidates of different assembly constituencies along with comments on serious issues of the concerned area were also written on it.

The papers also contained critical comments on several government schemes, policies, social and religious issues”, it said.

Similarly, the raid at Singh’s associate Mani Bhushan’s house here, unearthed a five-page document, in which comments were written in English against public representatives, officials, government schemes and policies, it added.

The seized documents contain provocative contents that can promote hatred and dissatisfaction against the government, the FIR said.