E-Paper
Complaint by justice Ranjit Singh: Sukhbir, Majithia exempted from personal appearance
Justice Singh was heading a probe panel in sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab and subsequent firing by cops on Sikh protesters in 2015 and had complained of bringing disrepute to the commission by the duo in February this year.
The Punjab and Haryana High court on Wednesday granted exemption to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and his brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia from personal appearance on September 26 in a criminal complaint filed by justice Ranjit Singh (retd).
Justice Singh was heading a probe panel in sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in Punjab and subsequent firing by cops on Sikh protesters in 2015 and had complained of bringing disrepute to the commission by the duo in February this year.
The pleas seeking exemption was filed on Monday. As matter could not be taken up on Wednesday due to paucity of time, on request from their counsels, the hearing was deferred for September 26 and duo granted exemption. They had filed a plea seeking exemption for Wednesday’s hearing.
Justice Ranjit Singh panel was appointed by the Congress government on April 14, 2017, whose term expired on August 31, 2018.
In his complaint to the HC filed in February, justice Singh stated that the duo termed his report as a “pile of waste paper” and referred to the judge as “injustice” Ranjit Singh. Sukhbir even accused the former judge of acting in a “malicious manner” and indulging into “cheating and forgery” while preparing the report, he told court demanding action against them for bringing “disrepute” to the commission.
