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Chargesheet filed against Sukhbir Badal, others in Zira court in 2017 road blockade case
Besides Harike bridge, Akalis also blocked roads at Beas, Phillaur, Mohali, Sirhind, Sangrur, Mansa, Ludhiana, Rampura Phul, and Pathankot in Punjab
Police have filed a chargesheet against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and others in a 2017 road blockade case in a Zira court in Ferozepur district.
The challan was filed on October 21 but the matter was not reported yet.
Activists Parvinder Singh Kitna of SBS Nagar, Kuldeep Singh Khaira of Ludhiana and Hakam Singh of Chandigarh had approached the high court in 2019 seeking action against the Akali leaders who were booked for causing road blockades across the state.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the activists said the case was registered against Sukhbir at the Makhu police station.
According to details uploaded on the Zira court website, the first of the four hearings so far took place on October 21. The court adjourned the matter to January 11 next year in the last hearing on November 29. On the activists’ plea demanding action against the Akali leaders, the HC has fixed the next hearing on March 17 next year.
On December 8, 2017, the police booked Sukhbir, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia and other party leaders in a criminal case on charges of blocking the Harike bridge and obstructing traffic in protest against the Congress government after some party candidates were prevented from filing their nomination papers in the civic body polls.
The Akalis had also blocked the roads at Beas, Phillaur, Balongi, Sirhind, Sangrur, Sunam, Mansa, Ludhiana, Rampura Phul, Bhikhi and Pathankot in the state.
A case under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 283 (causing danger or obstruction in public way), 431 (damage to roads and bridges), 188, 148 of the Indian Penal Code and section 8-B of the National Highway Act, 1956 has been registered at Makhu police station for blockade at Bangaliwala Pul, near Harrike.
They said that Ludhiana police had filed chargesheet against the Akali Dal leaders, including MLAs Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and Manpreet Singh Ayali besides Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, former minister Hira Singh Gabria and others in a Ludhiana court on September 9 this year for the blockade of national highways.
Also, SBS Nagar police had filed a chargesheet against Akali Dal MLA from Banga Sukhwinder Sukhi and others on September 13 this year.
“The Pathankot police had also filed a challan against the Akali Dal leaders, including former minister Desh Raj Dhugha, in the case in the same matter. Interestingly, the Kapurthala police filed closure report in the case which was registered against former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Jagir Kaur at the Dhilwan police station for blocking the national highway. The report was accepted by the Kapurthala court,” the activists said.
