COURTESY HT DEC 10

Sukhbir granted bail after he surrenders in Chandigarh court

Sukhbir Singh Badal
Tanbir Dhaliwal

tanbir.dhaliwal@htlive.com

CHANDIGARH : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday surrendered in a Chandigarh court in a defamation case that was filed against him in 2017.

He, however, was granted bail by the court.

Akhand Kirtani Jatha spokesperson Rajinder Pal Singh had moved the court, saying Sukhbir made defamatory remarks against him in January 2017 by associating him with the terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International. Earlier in the day, the court of additional chief judicial magistrate Tejpartap Singh Randhawa issued non-bailable warrants against Sukhbir, saying, “Bailable warrants issued against the accused were returned unexecuted citing ongoing construction work at the given address while he visited the residence off and on.”

“It is evident that the accused is very much aware about the proceeding pending in court. Moreover, he is not a layman being a former deputy chief minister of Punjab. As he is intentionally evading the process of the court, he be served non-bailable warrants for December 12,” the order read.

On this, Sukhbir’s counsel PIP Singh apprised the judge that the case was also listed for hearing in the Punjab and Haryana HC that stayed the non-bailable warrants giving the accused one week or 10-day time to appear in the trial court. Then the magistrate directed “not to issue the non-bailable warrants” against the SAD president who later surrendered in the court. The offence is bailable in nature.

The matter was listed for hearing on December 21.