Mohali: A special CBI court on Tuesday acquitted Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) Gautam Cheema and six others in a criminal conspiracy case, overturning a Dec 2024 trial court order that had convicted them and sentenced them to eight months in prison.The case dates to 2014 and involved allegations of abduction of Sumedh Gulati, a proclaimed offender in a fraud case. However, in Dec 2024, the trial court had convicted the accused only under charges of criminal conspiracy, obstructing a public servant, and resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension.On Tuesday, special CBI judge Baljinder Singh Sra held that the conviction was unsustainable in law and not supported by admissible evidence. The court said the trial court’s findings were based on conjectures and contained inconsistencies, observing that the magistrate had “transgressed settled principles of law” by constructing a narrative unsupported by evidence.Those acquitted include Ambala Cantonment Board suspended CEO Ajay Choudhary, along with Rashmi Negi, Vicky Verma, Aryan Singh and Varun Utreja.The court noted that key prosecution witnesses, including police personnel, turned hostile and failed to identify the accused. Even the sentry cited as an eyewitness did not identify them, it said. The court also flagged contradictions in the trial court’s reasoning and said the prosecution failed to establish key elements, including the initial arrest, alleged removal from custody, re-arrest, and identification of the accused.The court rejected digital evidence such as call detail records and CCTV footage due to non-compliance with Section 65-B of the Evidence Act. Concluding that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, it set aside the Dec 20, 2024 judgment and acquitted all the accused.
