Cong MLA gets relief from court in case of police officer’s suicide

Jodhpur: In a major relief to Congress legislator from Sadulpur, Krishna Poonia, who was facing charges of abetment of suicide of police officer Vishnu Dutt Bishnoi, a special court here set aside an order of the CBI court which had taken cognizance of punishable offence against her and summoned her. Special judge (SC/ST cases) Preeti Mukesh Parnami of Jodhpur Metropolitan court allowed the revision petition filed by Poonia and observed that on the basis of available evidence, there was no ground for the subordinate court taking cognizance of the offence of abetment of suicide.“The subordinate court has taken cognizance against the petitioner under superficial observation, considering the statements of the witnesses and WhatsApp chat as suspicious, but it does not appear to have legal basis,” the judge observed.Bishnoi had been found hanging in his government quarter on May 24, 2020. An investigation based on the complaint of his brother Sandeep Bishnoi, who held Poonia as responsible for the suicide, was initiated by the CID (CB) and the case was later referred to the CBI. After investigation, the CBI filed a final report, which was challenged by Sandeep Bishnoi, stating that his brother was an honest police officer who had been forced to commit suicide due to pressure caused by unfair demands made by Poonia.The CBI court rejected the final report and took cognizance of the criminal offence made out against Poonia.Challenging this order of the CBI court, Poonia moved the sessions court, which referred the case to the special court (SC/ST cases). The case was heard on Thursday and the judge set aside the order of the CBI court. The judge stated in the order, “There is no such evidence corroborating interference of Poonia in the work of Rajgarh police station, which could prove abetment of suicide by Poonia.” “These allegations are in contrast to the fact that the officer Bishnoi was due for posting in ACB and those policemen who had been sent to lines on recommendation of Poonia had again been posted in Rajgarh police station on the recommendation of Bishnoi himself,” the court observed in its order.Referring to allegations of Poonia interfering in the police’s work, the court observed that except in one matter, where Poonia had called up a police personnel at the station to allow a person to withdraw money from ATM during the Covid-19 lockdown, she had not made any other call to any police personnel for any favour or work.