Date: 
29.07.2010

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Gurjant Singh has issued arrest warrants against the secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in a complaint of forgery filed against SAD president and Deputy Chief Minster Sukhbir Badal and three more leaders. The complaint was filed by Balwant Singh Khera, chairman of the Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Commission.

Khera had alleged that the SAD filed two contradictory constitutions of the party with the Gurdwara Election Commission and the Election Commission of India. The complaint has been fielded under Sections 465, 466, 467, 468, and 471 of the IPC.

The court had summoned the Gurdwara Election Commission and the SAD secretary, along with the records of the SAD constitution, on Wednesday. While the representative of the commission submitted the constitution, written in Gurmukhi and attested by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, along with a forwarding letter from Badal, no one was present in the court to represent the SAD. The CJM issued bailable warrants against the SAD secretary and asked him to appear on October 6, 2010, along with all relevant records pertaining to the case.

The complaint was filed in the court in February 2009, in which SAD secretary Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, party’s Hoshiarpur district president Surinder Singh Shinda and secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa were made party, along with Sukhbir Badal. Khera had attached the copies of both constitutions along with his complaint. He said the Representation of Peoples Act mandates that a political party is required to be secular and should not have allegiance to any religion, but the SAD contested elections of religious bodies, including Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

In the other constitution submitted with the office of the Chief Election Commissioner of India, the SAD had shown itself as a secular party.

In was mentioned in the complaint the two constitutions had different criteria for becoming a member of the party. According to the secular one, “any adult can become its member”, while the other said only a Sikh was eligible for membership.

The complainant alleged that SAD had committed a forgery and it should be de-recognised.

City: 
Hoshiarpur
Source url: 
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/warrants-against-sad-secy-for-not-appearing-in-court/653127/2
Author: 
Anju Agnihotri Chaba
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