It was a tense morning in Courtroom No.1 of the Punjab and Haryana High Court when the bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry pronounced its decision. The judges dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that had sought a CBI investigation into the death of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, calling the ongoing probe by Chandigarh Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) “satisfactory and unbiased.”
The petitioner, Navneet Kumar, who heads a Haryana-based NGO, had approached the court alleging that the investigation lacked independence and transparency, especially since the late officer had accused senior Haryana officials of harassment. However, the bench wasn’t convinced.
“The progress of investigation indicates no delay or negligence. There is no reason to doubt its fairness,” the court observed in a clear tone.
Kumar, a 2012-batch IPS officer, was found dead at his government accommodation in Chandigarh on October 7. His suicide note now part of the case record allegedly mentioned harassment by top police officials including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and then Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya. The note also spoke of caste-based discrimination, which had intensified the public outcry that followed his death.
Since then, the Chandigarh administration had set up an SIT under the Inspector General to conduct the probe. According to submissions made before the bench, 14 individuals have been named in the FIR, 22 witnesses have been examined, and 21 forensic samples collected. The court noted these steps as indicators of a serious and ongoing effort.
Despite emotional arguments by the petitioner about institutional bias and the need for central intervention, the bench maintained its stand.
“The investigation is moving at an acceptable pace. There’s no occasion to transfer it elsewhere,” the judges ruled, effectively closing the chapter on the demand for a CBI probe.
For now, the focus returns to the SIT its findings will determine whether justice for the late officer moves from outrage to outcome.
Case Title: Navneet Kumar v. Union Territory of Chandigarh & O