New York: (February 23, 2013): During a marathon evidentiary hearing before the US Court, “Biskupic & Jacobs”, attorneys representing Punjab CM Badal produced a witness who claimed that on August 09, 2012, he was served with the summons at Oak Creek High School instead of CM Badal.
In order to secure clean chit from US Court for CM Badal, Surinderpal Singh Kalra, a Chicago based known Sikh testified that “I was served at Oak Creek High School on August 9, 2012 instead of CM Badal”. Kalra testified before Judge Adelman amid loud opposition from the members of SAD (Amritsar) that “on February 19, 2013 he found original summons and complaint that the process server had given him at Oak Creek High School, in the trunk of his car”.
Parkash Singh Badal
Kalra further testified under oath that upon finding the original summons, he “immediately contacted Darshan Singh Dhaliwal” brother of Surjit Singh Rakhra, a member of CM Badal’s cabinet. During cross examination by “Sikhs For Justice” attorneys, Kalra could not explain that “what made him come forward after six months of silence and the circumstances of finding the original Summons in the trunk of his car” and why did he contacted Dhaliwal ?
CM Badal was in Wisconsin for the wedding of Dhaliwal’s daughter in August 2012 when “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) filed a human rights violations lawsuit against him under Alien Torts Claims Act and Torture Victims Protection Act in the Federal District Court of Wisconsin. Attorneys representing Punjab State Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal took the defenses of ‘alibi” and “body double” to rebut the human rights groups claim that Badal was served with summons at Oak Creek High School.
Special Agents from Diplomatic Security Service of the US Department of State testified that Badal was “shopping” at Boelter Super Store from 4:49 PM to 5:09 PM while the process server testified that he “served Badal” at 4:50 PM at Oak Creek High School where a ceremony was being held in honor of Sikh victims of Oak Creek Gurudwara shooting. CM Badal’s presence was claimed at Wisconsin State Fare, shopping at George Watts and Son Store and Boelter Super Store on August 09, 2012, the day Christopher G. Kratochvil claimed serving CM Badal at Oak Creek High School, Wisconsin.
According to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ will subpoena the complete logs and records of Badal’s security detail from the US Department of State to verify the Badal’s claim of shopping at different locations and his absence from Oak Creek High School. SFJ will also subpoena Kalra to discover his economic interest in the State of Punjab and his connections with Darshan Singh Dhaliwal and CM Badal, added attorney Pannun.
The Punjab Police officers also attended the hearing and were specially sent on the mission to gather intelligence about the activities of the groups and individuals who have filed human rights violations case against Badal. Attorney Pannun stated that they will file a complaint with US Department of State against the Police officers who have come from Punjab to attend the hearing as this is in violation of the US laws.
The hearing before Judge Adelman was attended by Officials of the US Department of State, N.J. Gangte, Consulate General of India from Chicago, Darshan Singh Dhaliwal along with supporters of SAD (Badal) and scores of supporters of SAD (Amritsar) who came from all over the US.
Judge Adelman granted rights group till April 5, to investigate the evidence, complete the jurisdictional discovery about the service of summon on CM Badal and submit supporting memorandum law to the Court.
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and SAD (Amritsar) filed a human rights violations case against Badal on charges of commanding the police force which is responsible for extra judicial killings and continuous human rights violations against the Sikh community in Punjab. Parkash Badal has been head of the Government in the Indian State of Punjab for more than twelve years from 1997 till 2002 and from 2007 till present and there have been several hundred cases of extrajudicial killings, police tortures and human rights violations during this time.