CBI Court Sentences Former Senior Punjab Police Officers in 2007 Moga Sex Scandal Case
A CBI court today sentenced four former Punjab Police officers in connection with the infamous 2007 Moga sex scandal, marking a significant development in a case that had rocked the state nearly two decades ago.
Former Moga Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Devinder Singh Garcha (73) and Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Paramdip Singh Sandhu (61) were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court also imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh each on both officers, who retired from service at the rank of Additional Inspector General.
Inspector Amarjit Singh (72) and Sub-Inspector Raman Kumar (61), both dismissed from service, received harsher sentences. Amarjit was sentenced to eight years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹3 lakh, while Raman received six and a half years and a fine of ₹2.5 lakh. Both were convicted on charges of extortion and attempted extortion.
Garcha, who hails from Jalandhar, is a former Olympian and once captained the Indian hockey team. Sandhu is a resident of Sector 28, Chandigarh. Inspector Amarjit Singh and Sub-Inspector Raman Kumar are both from Amritsar.
The court had convicted the four officers on March 29. Two other accused — Barjinder Singh alias Makhan, son of a former Akali minister, and Sukhraj Singh — were acquitted.
The Moga sex scandal had made national headlines due to the involvement of high-profile politicians and senior police officials. The accused were found to have manipulated sex-trafficking cases by entrapping wealthy individuals and extorting large sums of money in exchange for dropping their names from witness statements given by a woman and a minor girl.
The scandal expanded over time to implicate goldsmiths, lawyers, businessmen, a journalist, a junior engineer, and relatives of police personnel — many of whom were later cleared of charges. The minor girl was initially granted pardon after turning approver but later turned hostile during the trial. The woman at the center of the case, Manjit Kaur of Dharamkot, and her husband were tragically shot dead by unidentified assailants in 2018.
The case came to light on June 7, 2007, when Ranjit Singh, a resident of Bhagike village, filed a complaint alleging that then SHO Amarjit Singh had demanded ₹50,000 to spare him in a rape case lodged by the minor girl. Following allegations of political and senior police involvement, the Punjab and Haryana High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI in December 2007.
Following the recent verdict, complainant Ranjit Singh stated, “A false case of snatching ₹1,200 was registered against me, and I, along with my four-year-old son, was jailed. Many people suffered in silence — some paid up to ₹15 lakh to clear their names.”
The lengthy legal battle involved four FIRs, nine individuals chargesheeted, and 112 witnesses, of whom 95 were examined. Fifteen witnesses turned hostile, and the trial stretched over 18 years. Ultimately, five of the accused were acquitted, three remained untraceable, and no action was taken against two others.
The court’s verdict is seen as a long-awaited step toward justice in one of Punjab’s most controversial police scandals.
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