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Navjot Sidhu questions Channi govt’s ‘failure’ to challenge Saini’s blanket bail in Supreme Court
It has been seven years since but justice is still awaited in Behbal Kalan police firing incident in which two Sikh protesters seeking action in sacrilege episode were killed
Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday questioned the state government’s failure to file a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging the blanket bail granted to former director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 10.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Sidhu said it had been seven years since but justice was still awaited in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing incident in which two Sikh protesters seeking action in the sacrilege episode were killed.
Claiming that the sacrilege cases can’t move forward with a blanket bail to Saini, whom he referred to as prime accused in the case, the Congress leader hit out at advocate general APS Deol and DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota for inaction.
He also questioned the role of 40 ruling party MLAs who sought Amarinder Singh’s removal from the chief minister’s post over inaction in the drug and sacrilege cases and had “threatened to break into Saini’s house”, but were not speaking up when the Charanjit Singh Channi government was not doing the needful.
“I am feeling burdened over the sacrilege issue,” he said, adding that the party has to choose either him or the two officers (DGP and AG) who were hampering justice in the cases.
“The high court on April 9 had asked the state government to complete investigation in the Kotkapura firing case in six months. The deadline lapsed but nothing has happened in the case,” the cricketer-turned-politician said after the media briefing following the proceedings of the first day of special Vidhan Sabha session were adjourned.
The state Congress chief also asked the government to make public the report on the drug case which was kept in a sealed cover in the high court in the upcoming assembly sitting on November 11. He added, “No one stops the government from disclosing facts of the investigations.”
Sidhu raised similar issues on micro-blogging site Twitter on Sunday, a day after APS Deol accused him of obstructing the functioning of the state government and the advocate general’s office.
With this, the standoff between Sidhu and CM Charanjit Singh Channi over Deol’s appointment continues. Sidhu is opposed to appointment of Deol, who had represented Saini in the police firing cases, and has been pressing for his removal. He had resigned from his post on September 28. He withdrew his resignation last week but made Deol’s removal a precondition for resuming his duties.
Responding to a query, Sidhu said he did not always criticise the government and praised the good work. “I welcome petrol and diesel price cut. But the question here is that for how long it will continue. Can this continue for the next five years?” he asked.
