Punjab and Haryana High Court tells govt to guard publishers of religious texts

Amritsar, March 4

Justice Vikram Aggarwal, Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court, has directed the state government and the DGP, Punjab Police, to ensure that no untoward incident takes place against owners of Bhai Chatar Singh Jiwan Singh, a publishing house that prints ‘gutkas’, ‘pothis’ and other religious material, on account of alleged acts of Balbir Singh Muchal, Amrik Singh Ajnala and Manjit Singh Chabal.

All three are leaders of the satkar committee, who have been holding a dharna, in front of the properties of the publishing firm accused of disrespect of the Sikh religious material at the printing press.

The partners of the publication house through senior counsel Puneet Jindal sought adequate protection through the court to their life and liberty and also to their properties from Balbir Singh Muchal, Amrik Singh Ajnala and Manjit Singh Chabal on Saturday.

Activists of the satkar committee demanding the arrest of the proprietors of the publishing house have been holding a protest in front of their properties for the past several days.

The court observed that the matter was indeed serious and the state was duty bound to maintain law and order and provide an atmosphere free from fear to its citizens.

The court directed the DGP to assess the situation and if so required depute some senior officials to look into the matter and provide necessary protection to the petitioners ensuring safety of their life, liberty and properties.

On behalf of the partners of publication house, counsel Karanbir Singh Osahan filed a civil suit at the district court in which Vishav Gupta, Civil Judge, junior division, restrained Muchal, Ajnala and Chabal from interfering into the peaceful and smooth running of the publication firm by staging any protest in front of its properties in a manner that did not affect its ingress and outgress.

Protest outside printing firm

The directions have come after owners of Bhai Chatar Singh Jiwan Singh, a publishing house that prints ‘gutkas’, ‘pothis’ and other religious material, had sought adequate protection on account of alleged acts of leaders of the satkar committee who have been holding a dharna outside the firm