Source:- tribuneindia.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the arrest of Punjab \nDeputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Atul Soni, accused of firing at \nhis wife. The order will remain in force at least till January 31, the \nnext date of hearing in the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taking up the petition, Justice Jaishree Thakur of the High Court \nalso called for a status report in the matter after issuing a notice of \nmotion to the state of Punjab and Soni\u2019s wife. Appearing before Justice \nThakur\u2019s Bench, Soni\u2019s counsel SPS Sidhu contended that all allegations \nin the FIR had been concocted by the police. Sidhu argued that an \naltercation took place in the complainant\u2019s house. A woman sub-inspector\n came at that point, but left thereafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sidhu further contended that it was stated in the FIR that the \ncomplainant met the police on January 19 outside the Army Institute of \nLaw, Sector 68, Mohali, at 2.15 pm, which was patently false. He added \nthat a written complaint, which became the basis of the FIR, was never \ngiven by her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice Thakur took note of the fact that another counsel, SPS \nKhaira, appearing on the wife\u2019s behalf, supported the bail application \nby submitting that no such complaint was ever given by her. Appearing \nbefore Justice Thakur, the wife, on asking, swore that nothing, except \naltercation, took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The notice issued by the Bench was accepted on behalf of the state by\n Punjab Deputy Advocate-General Davinder Bir Singh. Soni, posted with \n13th Battalion of Punjab Armed Police at Chandigarh, was seeking \nanticipatory bail in an FIR registered for attempt to murder, cruelty \nand other offences on January 19 under Sections 307, 323 and 498-A of \nthe IPC and provisions of the Arms Act at the Phase VIII police station \nin Mohali.<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sidhu submitted that the present case was registered on the \nallegations that Soni\u2019s wife was being tortured by him and he shot at \nher on the day of the alleged occurrence, but her son came in the middle\n and she was saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the case was registered by twisting the fact. In fact, such a\n complaint was not made by his wife. There was an altercation between \nthe couple, following which she reported the matter to the police. \nHowever, firing was never alleged by the wife and she had already \nexecuted an affidavit to this effect. \u2014 TNS<\/p>\n