E-Paper
Punjab: Tara among 2 acquitted in Sikh body leader’s murder case
Tara, who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, was accused of conspiring with Goldy for the murder; while acquitting the duo, the court cited a lack of evidence presented by the Punjab Police
A district court in Patiala on Tuesday acquitted Jagtar Singh Tara and Ramandeep Singh Goldy in a 2009 murder case of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat (RSS) leader Rulda Singh.
Tara, who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, was accused of conspiring with Goldy for the murder.
While acquitting the duo, the court cited a lack of evidence presented by the Punjab Police.
Defendants’ counsel Barjinder Singh Sodhi said, “The court has acquitted my clients as the Punjab Police failed to produce any evidence linking them to the case.”
Rulda Singh was shot outside his residence in Patiala on July 28, 2009, while he was stepping out of his Scorpio car. He was rushed to the Rajindra Hospital and later had to be referred to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, where he succumbed on August 15, 2009.
The prosecution alleged Tara and Goldy had conspired to eliminate Rulda Singh. However, the court said the police were unable to establish any direct or circumstantial evidence linking them to the crime or the assailants.
After the verdict, Goldy said, “The truth has prevailed. The police failed to produce any evidence against us, proving that we were falsely implicated.”
This is not the first acquittal in the case. In February 2015, five accused—Jagmohan Singh, Darshan Singh, Gurjant Singh, Amarjit and Daljit Singh—were acquitted by the Patiala additional sessions judge due to lack of evidence.
