Hearing in Usman case deferred

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, December 5

Manjinder Singh Lalpura, AAP MLA from Khadoor Sahib along with a total of 11 accused nominated in a more than nine-year-old case of molestation and assault on a girl belonging to a Scheduled Caste family, had to wait outside the court for more than five hours for the hearing of their case on Monday. The case is being heard by the court of Preeti Sahni, Additional Sessions Judge, Tarn Taran.

The victim Harbinder Kaur, a resident of Usman village, was allegedly caned brutally by the Tarn Taran city police and the other accused including AAP MLA Lalpura on March 3, 2013 at a marriage palace on the Goindwal Sahib road. The victim was reportedly molested too by the accused.

The incident attracted widespread condemnation and the Supreme Court took suo moto notice of the incident ordering to provide paramilitary force protection to the girl, Jagjit Singh her cousin who was an an eyewitness and her family members besides the Sarpanch of Usman village.

The accused included eight policemen and some civilians including AAP MLA Lalpura. One of the accused policeman Paramjit Singh, Head Constable, died during the case proceedings. The challan against the 11 is pending in the court for hearing as of now.

The victim Harbinder Kaur along with her family members was attending a marriage programme in a Tarn Taran marriage palace on March 3, 2013 when she was brutally attacked by the police. The city police had registered a case under Section 354, 323, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC and also provisions of the SC/ST Act.

The case was fixed for hearing today by the court of Preeti Sahni, Additional Sessions Judge. All the accused were present in the court and were called for hearing at 3.30 pm. The court required the original SC certificate from the victim which Harbinder Kaur had not brought with her.

The next date of hearing has been fixed for December 19 by the court.