The Chandigarh court on Saturday awarded life imprisonment till death to Jagtar Singh Tara, who was held guilty of assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in 1995, on Friday.
A fine of Rs 35,000 has also been imposed. Tara was held guilty under Section 302 (murder) and 120 B ( criminal conspiracy) and sections 4 and 6 of The Explosives Substances Act. CBI counsel had pleaded for death penalty.
Investigating authorities had named 15 people as accused in the bomb blast outside the Punjab secretariat that had killed Beant and 16 others.
Punjab Police constable Dilawar Singh was the human bomb. Tara is the eighth accused facing trial, to be convicted. Six others were declared proclaimed offenders. There was one acquittal.
Tara has confessed to his crime thrice till date stating that he killed the former CM because ‘Sikh history taught him not to bear injustice and the circumstances at that time were intolerable as innocent youths were being massacred’.
A CBI court has already convicted Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora, Gurmeet Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Shamsher Singh, Naseeb Singh, Balwant Singh Rajoana and Navjot Singh.
THE CONVICTS
Jagtar Singh Hawara: The master-mind, responsible for receiving and transporting the RDX from Pakistan. He has filed an appeal against his sentence. Presently in Tihar jail.
{{/usCountry}}Jagtar Singh Hawara: The master-mind, responsible for receiving and transporting the RDX from Pakistan. He has filed an appeal against his sentence. Presently in Tihar jail.
{{/usCountry}}Balwant Singh Rajoana: The only one not to file an appeal against his death sentence. Presently in Burail jail.
Gurmeet Singh: An engineer working with the BPL prior to arrest. Got life-imprisonment. Presently in Burail jail.
Paramjeet Singh Bheora: Played a major role in the crime. The judgment had said, “He (Bheora) is proved to be one of the members of second category who were induced and instigated to commit the crime.”
Lakhwinder Singh: A munshi with the CID, he arranged repairs for the car used in the blast. Awarded life imprisonment.
Shamsher Singh: Accompanied Hawara in the truck that carried the RDX.
ACQUITTED
Navjot Singh, booked after a diary was recovered, was acquitted in 2007.
RELEASED
Naseeb Singh was released. The RDX was kept at his residence. He was awarded 10-year-jail and fined Rs 10,000. He was released after his sentence was converted to ‘period undergone’
Where are the 6 POs
Wadhwa Singh Babbar, Mehal Singh Babbar and Jagroop Singh are in Pakistan, Resham Singh is in Germany, Manjinder Singh is in the UK and Harjeet Singh is in the US