Court drops sedition charges against 19 dera followers

PANCHKULA: In yet another blow to the Haryana Police, the Panchkula court dropped sedition charges against 19 followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in connection with 2017 violence that killed 36 people and left more than 200 people wounded.

Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 19

In yet another blow to the Haryana Police, the Panchkula court dropped sedition charges against 19 followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in connection with 2017 violence that killed 36 people and left more than 200 people wounded.

Top aides of dera chief, including Panchkula dera in charge Chamkaur Singh and media coordinator Surender Dhiman, Pawan Insan, are among 19 accused.

The orders were passed on Monday but the copy was made available on Thursday.

Importantly, the Haryana Police had sent reminders to the state government for prosecution sanction for sedition charges, but no sanction was given by the government.

While framing of charges, Additional Sessions Judge Rajan Walia said, “At the very outset, the public prosecutor has fairly conceded that for prosecuting

the accused for the commission of offence punishable under Sections 121, 121-A and 124 of the IPC, sanction has not been accorded by the government and impressed upon the framing of charge under the remaining offences”.

The court framed charges for attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy under Sections 147, 148,149, 353, 186, 188, 332, 333, 307, 435 read with Section 148, 177 and 120B the IPC against 19 dera followers.

In the FIR no. 343, registered at Sector 5 police station, it was stated that these accused had caused damage to government buildings, LIC building, Fire Brigade property and vehicles of journalists near Hafed Chowk.

After the violence in August last year, the Panchkula police had registered 239 FIRs at different police stations. Of the total FIRs, sedition charge was slapped against the accused in 10 FIRs only. The SIT had sought prosecution sanction from the state Home Department for slapping the sedition charge against dera followers in all these 10 FIRs. However, the state government gave sanction only in two FIRs – the main case of violence in Panchkula and the dera chief’s escape bid.

This is the third dera violence case to see sedition charges being dropped. In February, the court had dropped sedition charge against 53 dera followers in another FIR related to the violence in Panchkula. Similarly, in the first week of July, the court had dropped sedition charges against 41 dera followers in FIR no. 333.

Six persons acquitted in April

In April, in the FIR no. 415, District and Sessions Judge Ritu Tagore had acquitted six persons charged with rioting and snatching at Hafed Chowk — the epicentre of violence on August 25 last year after the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.