CBI Court Rejects Closure Report in Alleged Anandpal Singh Fake Encounter Case

A CBI court has rejected the closure report on the 2017 alleged fake encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh, directing charges to be filed against involved police officials. The court's order came following a petition by Singh's wife, Raj Kanwar, challenging the CBI's clean chit to the officials.

In a significant development, a CBI court on Wednesday dismissed the central probe agency's closure report concerning the alleged fake encounter of notorious gangster Anandpal Singh in 2017. The court ordered that a case of murder and other charges be filed against the police officials implicated in the incident.

The ruling follows a petition filed by Anandpal's wife, Raj Kanwar, who contested the CBI's conclusions that had exonerated the then Churu SP Rahul Barhat, DSP Vidhya Prakash, Inspector Surya Veer Singh, and others. The alleged encounter took place on the night of June 24, 2017, in Malasar, Churu.

Despite the CBI concluding it was a genuine encounter, community protests and subsequent legal challenges by Raj Kanwar and Anandpal's brother led to the court's new directive. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Yuvraj Singh's order mandates criminal charges under several IPC sections against the involved police officials.