Himachal Pradesh custodial death case: HC suspends jail term of former IGP Zaidi

Key Points

1. Punjab and Haryana High Court suspended the life imprisonment of former Himachal Pradesh IGP Zahur Haider Zaidi in a 2017 custodial death case.
2. Zaidi and seven other policemen were sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in Chandigarh in January.
3. The case involves the custodial death of Suraj, an accused in the gang rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in Kotkhai, Himachal Pradesh in 2017.
4. The Supreme Court transferred the custodial death case from Shimla to Chandigarh in May 2019.
5. Justices Anoop Chitkara and Sukhvinder Kaur directed Zaidi's release on a bail bond of ₹25,000 on December 24, 2025.
6. The High Court cited a lack of motive and prolonged incarceration as reasons for suspending the sentence.
7. Zaidi claimed he was on leave during the custodial death to perform rituals for his deceased father.
8. The CBI charged Zaidi and other police officials with criminal conspiracy, murder, and fabrication of evidence.