Court acquits Jagtar Singh Hawara in 18-year-old case

Chandigarh, November 22

A local court has acquitted Jagtar Singh Hawara in an 18-year-old case after the prosecution failed to prove charges. He is serving life term at Tihar jail in Delhi for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

The case was registered on the allegations that Hawara was planning to wage a war against the Government of India with weapons and explosives and was also involved in acts for revival of terrorism and formation of Khalistan.

The FIR was registered against Hawara at the Sector 36 police station here on July 16, 2005, for the offences punishable under Sections 121 (waging war against government), 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable under Section121), 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) and 120-B (party to criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.

The police claimed that on July 16, 2005, a pistol, some cartridges and 450 gm of RDX were seized from the possession of a co-accused in the case near Kisan Bhawan here.

The court framed the charges against Hawara who pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. AS Chahal, counsel for Hawara, argued that the accused had been falsely implicated in the case. He said the prosecution had also failed to produce any witness who can support the case.