Mohali, June 1 -- More than three decades after a fake encounter shook the region, the court of special judge, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mohali, has convicted three retired Punjab Police officials in connection with the abduction and fake encounter of two young men in 1993. Special judge Baljinder Singh Sra sentenced 72-year-old Manjit Singh (then inspector, who retired deputy superintendent of police) and 84-year-old Gurmej Singh (then sub-inspector, who retired inspector) to eight years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh each. Karamjit Singh, 70, then assistant sub-inspector, was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.50,000. The court acquitted constables Kashmir Singh and Harjit Singh of all charges. The victims, Palwinder Singh, alias Pappu, and Balbir Singh, were allegedly abducted by the police on March 27, 1993, from their respective villages in Kapurthala district. According to the CBI chargesheet, they were illegally detained for days before being falsely shown as arrested in a theft case. Hours later, police claimed the duo escaped custody and were killed in an encounter with the Sultanpur Lodhi police on April 5, 1993. Their bodies were cremated as unclaimed, and no information was provided to their families. The court, while delivering the verdict, noted that the actual killing was carried out by SI Mohan Singh and ASI Iqbal Singh, both of whom died during the investigation. As a result, no murder charges were framed against the surviving accused. However, the court found the three convicted officials guilty under Sections 364 (abduction), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. "The abductees, Palwinder Singh and Balbir Singh, were youths between 20 to 26 years of age, eliminated in a fake encounter. The court can very well imagine the plight of their parents and families, who have been running from pillar to post since 1993 to seek justice," the court observed. The court ordered that the fines collected from the convicts be paid as compensation to the legal heirs of the victims under Section 357(1) of the CrPC. Due to his medical condition, convict Gurmej Singh, who is bedridden, has been directed to be lodged in Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, or Civil Hospital, Patiala, instead of prison. The long road to justice began in 1995, when Darshan Singh, father of Palwinder Singh, filed a habeas corpus petition before the Punjab and Haryana high court for direction to produce his son before the court and after hearing the parties judicial inquiry was entrusted to chief judicial magistrate, Kapurthala. The judicial report dated May 28, 2002, found the encounter doubtful and recommended for independent probe and on the basis of this report, the high court ordered CBI inquiry on September 12, 2005. On October 11, 2005, the CBI had registered the case at Chandigarh against unidentified persons and after completing investigation. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Karamjit Singh, the then ASI at Rawalpindi police station, Manjit Singh, the then SHO Rawalpindi, Gurmej Singh, then SI of police station Phagwara city, constable Kashmir Singh, constable Harjit Singh of Phagwara citu police station on January 3, 2012. Though charges were framed against accused in 2014, but case was stayed till 2018 by the higher courts on petitions filed by the accused police officials. Not only the accused but the state of Punjab also challenged the orders of the high court ordering a CBI inquiry before the Supreme Court. Advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka, counsel for victims' family, stated that the statements of co-accused and associate police officials played vital role to prove the theory of arrest, escape and then killing of Palwinder Singh, Pappu, and Balbir Singh in an encounter as fake. The court held that the accused acted in unison by entertaining common intention and in furtherance of common intention abducted and illegally confined the victims. The charge under Section 120-B IPC read with Section 364 IPC has been proved against accused Karamjit Singh, Manjit Singh and Gurmej Singh. The substantive charge under Section 364 IPC was not framed against accused Karamjit Singh, accordingly, accused Manjit Singh and Gurmej Singh are held guilty of the offence under Section 364 IPC read with Section 34 IPC. Further, accused Karamjit Singh and Manjit Singh are also held guilty for the offence under Section 342 read with Section 34 IPC. The court held that the factum of elimination of Balbir Singh along with Palwinder Singh in a fake encounter has been proved by the prosecution through other witnesses....