Ex-SSP Gurmeet Singh Randhawa Convicted in 1992 Abduction Case1992 ਅਗਵਾ ਕੇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਾਬਕਾ ਐੱਸਐੱਸਪੀ ਰੰਧਾਵਾ ਦੋਸ਼ੀ

A special CBI court in Mohali on Wednesday convicted former Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police Gurmeet Singh Randhawa in the 1992 abduction of Ludhiana transporter Amrik Singh Sakri, bringing down the curtain on a case that has run for nearly 34 years. The court will announce the quantum of sentence on Thursday, 12 November.

What happened in 1992?

According to the prosecution, Sakri was picked up on 25 November 1992 from Hotel Amaltas in Ludhiana, where he had gone to attend his niece's wedding. A Punjab Police team led by the then deputy superintendent of police Gurmeet Singh, who was posted in Tarn Taran, took him away. Sakri was never seen again, and his family has maintained since that he was abducted by the police.

How did the case reach court?

Sakri's son Devinder Singh filed an affidavit about his father's abduction, and the Supreme Court ordered an inquiry on 15 November 1995 in a writ petition filed by Paramjeet Kaur. The CBI began a preliminary inquiry in January 1999 and registered a regular case in February 2000. A chargesheet followed in 2001 against Randhawa, the then station house officer of Khalra police station Inspector Suba Singh, sub-inspector Surinder Singh, constable Parminderjit Singh and assistant sub-inspector Jaswant Singh. The chargesheet named the then senior superintendent of police Ajit Singh Sandhu as the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy. The accused were charged under Sections 120-B, 220, 364, 365 and 218 of the Indian Penal Code, covering criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, illegal confinement and manipulation of official records.

Why did the trial take so long?

Although charges were framed in 2000, the proceedings remained stalled for years as the accused police officials filed petitions before higher courts. The trial could begin only in 2022. Three of the accused died during the long pendency of the case, and the proceedings outlived several judges and investigating officers.

What did the court decide?

Special Judge Dinesh Kumar Wadhwa found Randhawa guilty under Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code, which covers kidnapping or abduction with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person, and Section 120-B, which covers criminal conspiracy. Co-accused constable Parminderjit Singh, also known as Babbu, was acquitted after the court gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Why does the verdict matter?

The conviction closes another long-pending case linked to alleged illegal detentions and disappearances during Punjab's terrorism-affected period. For Sakri's family, which pursued the case from the Supreme Court to the CBI court for three decades, the verdict is the first judicial finding that the transporter was abducted by a police team. It also underlines how slowly cases from that period have moved through the courts, with this one taking more than three decades from the disappearance to a verdict.

Who was Amrik Singh Sakri?

A transporter from Ludhiana who was picked up by a police team on 25 November 1992 from a wedding at Hotel Amaltas and never seen again.

When will Gurmeet Singh Randhawa be sentenced?

The CBI court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Thursday, 12 November.

What happened to the other accused?

Constable Parminderjit Singh was acquitted, and three other accused died during the 34 years the case was pending.