Amid 'Satluj' row, spotlight from Jaswant Singh Khalra shifts to life convict ex-DSP Jaspal Singh, missing from jail
As the controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj has revived public debate over the abduction and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, fresh attention has turned to one of the key convicts in the case—former Punjab Police DSP Jaspal Singh—who has allegedly been absconding for more than three years after securing bail while serving a life sentence.
CHANDIGARH: As the controversy surrounding Diljit Dosanjh's film Satluj has revived public debate over the abduction and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, fresh attention has turned to one of the key convicts in the case—former Punjab Police DSP Jaspal Singh—who has allegedly been absconding for more than three years after securing bail while serving a life sentence.
Jaspal Singh, one of six Punjab Police personnel convicted in the Khalra murder case, was lodged in the Nabha Open Agricultural Jail when he was released on bail in May 2023. Since then, jail authorities have been unable to trace him, prompting a search by the Punjab Police.
The development has also raised questions because the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had, in September 2022, forwarded Jaspal Singh's application for premature release to the Governor of Punjab. That proposal remains pending and later became the legal basis on which he obtained bail.
According to official records, the Nabha Open Agricultural Jail recently requested the Hoshiarpur Police to trace the former DSP. Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswinder Singh of Hoshiarpur Sadar Police Station said ASI Surinder Pal Singh had been deputed to verify Jaspal Singh's address and locate him at his reported native village, Majhi, in Hoshiarpur district.
Adding another twist to the case, Jatinder Kumar, the sarpanch of village Majhi, has stated that no person named Jaspal Singh has ever lived in the village. Police officials are now examining whether the former DSP had furnished a false residential address and supporting documents while obtaining bail.
Jaspal Singh had first approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2021 seeking premature release. He later withdrew that petition in August 2022 after the court directed him to surrender by August 16 that year.
Subsequently, he submitted a fresh petition for premature release through the Punjab Government to the Governor. The Punjab Government forwarded the proposal to the Governor in September 2022, where it continues to remain pending.
While serving his life sentence, Jaspal Singh relied on a Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling in a contempt petition (COCP No. 2020 of 2022), which held that if the Governor fails to decide a prisoner's premature release case within three months of receiving the government's recommendation, the prisoner can be released on interim bail until a decision is taken.
Invoking that judgment, Jaspal Singh approached the Patiala Chief Judicial Magistrate, who ordered his release on bail in May 2023 after he furnished a personal bond and a surety of ₹1 lakh.
Since his release, however, he has reportedly failed to return to custody, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The murder of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the human rights activist who exposed the alleged illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies during Punjab's militancy years, remains one of the most significant custodial killing cases in India.
In 2005, a CBI court convicted six Punjab Police personnel for Khalra's abduction and murder. Former DSP Jaspal Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Amarjit Singh were sentenced to life imprisonment, while former SHOs Surinder Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh, Satnam Singh and Head Constable Prithipal Singh were awarded seven years' imprisonment.
On appeal, the Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the life sentence awarded to Jaspal Singh, acquitted Amarjit Singh, and enhanced the sentences of the remaining four policemen from seven years to life imprisonment, making all five serving police officials liable to life imprisonment in the case.
The revelation that a life convict in one of Punjab's most high-profile human rights cases has remained untraceable for over three years is likely to intensify scrutiny of the prison administration and law enforcement agencies. It has also revived questions over the circumstances in which he secured bail and whether proper verification of his address and credentials was carried out before his release.
The issue has resurfaced at a time when Satluj, a film based on the life and investigation of Jaswant Singh Khalra, has once again brought the Khalra case and the alleged excesses of Punjab Police during the militancy era back into the national spotlight.
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