Supply Kalyani with documents given to Sippy’s family: SC to CBI

The Supreme Court has directed the CBI to provide all documents to Kalyani Singh, the prime accused in the 2015 Sippu Sidhu murder case, as furnished to the victim’s mother.

It has also directed the trial court to ensure fairness in prosecution in case the accused files further applications for any other relevant document.

National-level shooter and lawyer Sukhmanpreet Singh, better known as Sippy Sidhu, was shot dead at a park in Sector 27 on September 20, 2015. His family has claimed that Kalyani, daughter of a former Punjab and Haryana high court judge justice Sabina (retd), killed him as they had turned down her marriage proposal.

The case was initially probed by the Chandigarh Police, but was transferred to CBI in 2016. While Kalyani was arrested by CBI in June 2022, charges are yet to be framed by the trial court amid filing of one or the other pleas by the parties concerned. Kalyani has been out on bail since September 2022.

Before framing of charges, Kalyani had filed an application before the CBI court to supply all documents relied upon by the prosecution. But the trial court rejected the application on the grounds that the documents sought for were not relied upon.

Challenging the trial court’s order, she approached the Punjab and Haryana high court that allowed her plea on May 8, 2023, and directed the trial court not to frame charges till Kalyani is supplied with data.

However, CBI went to the Supreme Court that, on December 1, 2023, stayed the high court’s order, paving the way for framing of charges. However, SC made it clear that charges, if framed, will be subject to outcome of the case.

On February 6, Kalyani filed an application before the trial court stating that SC had stayed supply of only documents “not relied upon” by CBI and she should be provided relied upon documents, which were also given to the victim’s mother.

In its latest order, dated February 26, the Supreme Court said, “When this case was last listed on February 22, 2024, the accused contended that the prosecution has withheld materials that were furnished to the victim’s mother. The additional solicitor general (appearing for CBI) has received instruction and submitted that the documents that were furnished to the victim’s mother will also be furnished to the accused.”

Closing the proceedings, the apex court, however, observed, “If the accused makes further application for furnishing any other relevant material, the trial court judge, in order to ensure fairness in the prosecution of the case, will consider such application, in accordance with law.”

The apex court added that with this, the impugned order of the high court, dated May 8, 2023, “stands modified to the above limited extent”.