Punjab police inspector gets life imprisonment for murder

Jagadhri, Oct 17 (UNI) Controversial Punjab Police inspector Gurmeet Singh Pinki was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Ludhiana resident in 2001.

The decision was handed out by District Sessions Judge Varinder Singh here today. Pinki, who had surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab yesterday, was also present in the court. He was brought here from Fatehgarh Sahib this morning under heavy security.

The Judge also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh and on failure to pay the money, he will have to serve another year in prison.

The fine to be deposited in the court would be given as compensation to the family of Avtar Singh Gola.

The Judge also found the Punjab Police official guilty under the Arms Act and sentenced him to another three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000. Both the sentences would run concurrently.

Pinki had been found guilty by the session Court in the last hearing of the case. The court had then acquitted five of his associates due to lack of evidence.

The Judge ordered that Pinki would serve his sentence in the Central Jail at Ludhiana instead of the Ambala Central Jail. The Judge pronounced this order after Pinki's counsel moved an application saying his client feared for his life in the Ambala jail as a number of militants were lodged there and Pinki had killed a number of terrorists during militantcy in the state.

While arguing for the prosecution, District Attorney Shashi Kant Sharma demanded capital punishment for him saying he had misused his official position and used government arms for committing the crime.

However, the Judge did not find enough ground for awarding capital punishment and instead sentenced the Inspector to a lifer.

The case against Pinki related to an FIR filed on January 8, 2001 at Civil Lines police station in Ludhiana under section 302 of the IPC and sections 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act.

UNI XC-HS JN AK MIR KP1521