Sexual harassment case: Sandeep says no to lie-detector test

The Chandigarh court has dismissed the application moved by the Chandigarh police seeking permission to conduct polygraph test of Haryana minister Sandeep Singh, in a alleged sexual harassment case filed against him by a junior coach.

The order was pronounced on Friday after Sandeep Singh, in a detailed reply denied to undergo the test. The reply was filed in response to an application moved by a special investigating team (SIT) of the Chandigarh police seeking permission to conduct his polygraph test.

A junior coach in her complaint dated December 31, 2022, had alleged Sandeep Singh, then sports minister of Haryana, of sexual harassment, stalking, threatening and outraging her modesty. Singh resigned from the sports portfolio but continues to be a minister in the Khattar government’s cabinet.

Following this a case was registered under relevant sections at Sector 26 police station in Chandigarh.

Sandeep Singh stated in the application that a false and frivolous complaint after inordinate and unexplanatory delay of about five months had been made against him to malign and tarnish his reputation in furtherance of personal vendetta and political rivalry.

Sandeep was grilled by the investigating agency on January 8 and February 11 and a detailed questionnaire of 202 questions on first date and 70 questions on the second date were put forth for Singh to answer. “He cooperated and also submitted detailed representation on December 31, 2022, wherein all documents and call recordings pertaining to the case were presented to the investigating agency,” application mentions.

Singh’s counsel Deepak Sabherwal argued that the investigating agency now with mala fide intentions has mentioned in the present application a few discrepancies, however, answers to all these queries have already been given to them.

Mentioning one such discrepancy regarding the timing of complainant’s visit at Singh’s office-cum-house in March and July 2022, Sabbarwal argued: “This discrepancy of how long she stayed in the office is not an anomaly but guesswork, for he is not supposed to note down timings of who comes when.

“The investigating agency is only bent upon to prolong the agony by stretching the matter and are therefore filing applications for conducting various tests, despite knowing that results of such tests cannot be admitted in evidence, as it measures stress and not veracity,” said Singh in his reply mentioning that he “doesn’t want to undergo the polygraph test.”