SGPC moves HC against parole to Dera Sacha Sauda chief
Chandigarh, February 9
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the states of Punjab and Haryana, among others, seeking quashing of an impugned order, dated January 20, granting temporary release to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. This, the petitioner contended, was against the provisions of Section 11 of The Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act.
Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Vikram Aggarwal issued a notice of motion to the states before fixing February 17 as the next date of hearing.
The petitioner, through counsel Premjit Singh Hundal, submitted that the order was passed by “losing sight of dangerous consequences emanating from unlawful uttering and activities of the respondent -dera chief during the period of parole granted to him vide the impugned order”.
Directions were also sought for ordering the immediate arrest of the respondent for lodging him in jail, “there being no release order in the two murder cases for which he is undergoing life imprisonment in two different FIRs”.
Elaborating, the petitioner added that the respondent was in jail, undergoing sentences under three separate orders by the competent courts. However, a temporary release order was issued only in one case. The respondent, as such, could not have been released from jail by the Superintendent, Central Jail, Sunaria, Rohtak.
