The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday stayed proceedings against three police officers in a case related to the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission’s findings on incidents of sacrilege in the state in 2015, reported PTI. The police officers include former Moga Senior Superintendent of Police Charanjit Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police Raghbir Singh, and Station House Officer Amarjit Singh.
“The court has stayed the consequential proceedings arising out of the recommendations of the commission,” said advocate Santpal Singh Sidhu representing the three police officers.
The bench of Justice RK Jain asked the Punjab government to respond to its notice by September 20 when the case will be heard again.
In October 2015, two people were killed and 60 injured in police firing when they were protesting against a series of incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy text of the Sikhs. The first incident of desecration was reported from Bargari in Faridkot district. The Central Bureau of Investigation was probing three sacrilege cases including theft of a “bir” (copy of Guru Granth Sahib) from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in Kotkapura.
The petitioners on Wednesday had moved the High Court against the commission’s findings, which recommended that their names be added to a First Information Report for attempt to murder. On August 7, following the recommendations of the commission, the district police filed a new case at the Kotkapura police station against unidentified policemen for attempt to murder, reported the Hindustan Times. Three days later, the names of Charanjit Singh, Amarjit Singh, and two other police officers were also added to the FIR registered in 2015.
Earlier this month, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu released CCTV footage showing police action against people demonstrating against the desecration in Kotkapura.
In August, the Punjab Assembly passed the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2017, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill that make desecration of religious texts punishable with life imprisonment.
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