Kotkapura firing: HC stays trial court proceedings

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday stayed trial court proceedings at Faridkot into the 2015 incident of firing reported at Kotkapura where protesters suffered injuries

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday stayed trial court proceedings at Faridkot into the 2015 incident of firing reported at Kotkapura where protesters suffered injuries.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday stayed trial court proceedings at Faridkot into the 2015 incident of firing reported at Kotkapura where protesters suffered injuries

The order was passed by high court bench of justice Tribhuvan Dahiya on a plea moved by Charanjit Sharma, then Moga senior superintendent of police.

The case was listed for consideration for framing of charges for February 24 at the trial court in Faridkot.

During the hearing, Sharma’s counsel Sangram Saron had told the court that the HC has already transferred the trial on May 31, 2024, in Behbal Kalan firing case. Thereupon, a reference was made by the trial court for consideration of transfer of trial in this case also. It is still pending for before the high court. However, due to delay, the trial court has notified February 24 as date for hearing on framing of charge, the court was told.

Taking note of this, the high court ordered that “for the time being, the trial court shall not proceed further with the proceedings” and fixed the next date of hearing on March 10.

The case (FIR 129) was registered at Kotkapura police station on August 7, 2018. The first FIR was registered on October 21, 2015, a week after two protesters were killed allegedly in the police firing at Behbal Kalan.

The two FIRs followed three incidents of sacrilege with the first reported on June 1, 2015, when a “bir” of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in Faridkot. Later, derogatory posters were put up at Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala on September 24, 2015, night and torn pages of a “bir” were found scattered near Bargari gurdwara on October 12, 2015.

Besides Sharma, former Punjab Police chief Sumedh Singh Saini and then inspector general of police Paramraj Singh Umranangal are among the accused in these cases.

The Behbal Kalan trial was transferred by high court taking note of police communications from time to time issued in respect of increased vigil and extra deployment of police force at court premises whenever the hearing of these cases take place. The court had also taken note of murder of Pardeep Kataria, a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, in November 2022. He was an accused in sacrilege related cases and was murdered in broad daylight despite being provided government security.

In February 2023, the Supreme Court ordered transfer of trial in three interlinked cases of the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari in 2015 from Faridkot to Chandigarh. In these cases, the Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) named Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim as the “main conspirator”. The trial is underway before a court in Chandigarh.