[Sippy Sidhu Murder] For more than six years CBI did not make headway: Punjab and Haryana High Court

While grating bail to accused Kalyani Singh, the daughter of Himachal Pradesh High Court judge Justice Sabina on Tuesday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court made strong observations against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for not making any progress in solving Sippy Sidhu's murder case dating back to 2015 [Kalyani Singh v CBI]..Justice Sureshwar Thakur also expressed his shock at the untraced report being filed in 2020, while the investigation was handed over to the CBI as early as 2015."It appears that, prima facie, there was an over anxiety on the part of the Investigating Officer concerned, to somehow close the investigations through his arresting the present petitioner," the court noted..The court further observed that CBI was prima facie indulged in taking help from tutored and planted witnesses to inculpate Singh."CBI has prima facie chosen to ill indulge in taking the services of tutored and planted witnesses rather merely for solving the crime event through causing the arrest of the present petitioner," the single judge observed. .The investigation into the murder was initially conducted by the Chandigarh Police, but was subsequently transferred to the CBI in 2016..While discussing the motives attributed to the petitioner by the CBI, the court said that the investigation was prima facie made in a "partisan and coloured" mode.The effect of the different motives at different stages being assigned by the CBI to the petitioner, is that, thus the same also prima facie becomes inconsequential", the court concluded. .The court, thus, allowed the bail plea as it opined that further investigation may result in all the offenders being brought to inculpation especially since no evidence was adduced by the CBI that Singh would flee from justice. .The order directed Singh to furnish personal and surety bonds of ₹2 lakhs. She was also asked to surrender her passport. .The High Court judge's daughter was arrested for her alleged role in the murder of national level shooter Sippy Sidhu. She was in a relationship with Sidhu which subsequently turned sour leading to the killing, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had told a Chandigarh court earlier.The CBI had arrested Singh on June 15, 2022 and after six days interrogation and she was lodged in Sector 51 Model Jail..As per the CBI case, Sidhu and Singh were in a relationship and she wanted to marry him, but the proposal was refused by Sidhu's parents.Meanwhile, Sidhu leaked certain objectionable photographs of Singh to her parents and friends causing major embarrassment to Singh and her family.She then asked Sidhu to meet her at a park in Chandigarh's sector 27 where she along with another assailant shot him dead on September 20, 2015, the CBI alleged..Senior advocate RS Cheema with advocates Sartej Singh Narula, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh Cheema, Gurinder Singh, and Satish Sharma appeared for the petitioner while the respondents were represented by CBI standing counsel Rajeev Anand. Senior advocate RS Bains and advocate Aarushi Garg appeared for the complainant. .[Read Order]