Chandigarh, March 21
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to SAD leader and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal in the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case.
The Bench of Justice Raj Mohan Singh, while seeking a response from the Punjab Government by May 30, granted interim protection from arrest to the Akali leader.
“Till the next date of hearing, the petitioner is directed to appear before the trial court within 15 days from today. In the event of his appearance, the trial court shall release the petitioner on interim bail subject to its satisfaction,” the Bench ruled.
Sukhbir’s counsel contended that he being the Home Minister at that time had been implicated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the allegation of his “abandoning the law and order situation” on October 12, 2015, as he had departed for Gurugram “despite having knowledge” of incident of sacrilege and the growing resentment among the public at Bargari and Kotkapura in order to use his absence as an excuse to evade responsibility of illegal actions of the police.
He had further submitted that the challan had been presented to the court and there was no requirement of the investigating agency to seek custodial interrogation of the petitioner in any manner. His presence of was only required for trial purposes and there was no chance of his fleeing from justice in any manner, he added.
On March 16, the trial court at Faridkot had dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in the case, following which he had moved the HC on March 18. The trial court had, however, granted interim protection from arrest to his father and former CM Parkash Singh Badal on health grounds.
To appear in trial court
Till the next date of hearing, the petitioner is directed to appear before the trial court within 15 days from today. — High Court Bench
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