Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is raising hurdles in the way of release of Sikh political prisoners. On the one hand AAP leaders maintain in their public speeches that their government is in favor of release of Sikh political prisoners who have completed minimum mandatory terms of their sentences, but on the other hand Punjab government through District Magistrate of Patiala did not recommend permanent release of Bhai Gurmeet Singh. Bhai Gurmeet Singh is undergoing imprisonment for life and he has completed the minimum mandatory term of his sentence.
Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjpur told Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) over phone that in response to a writ petition filed in Punjab and Haryana High Court on behalf of Bhai Gurmeet Singh, Chandigarh administration told the court that it has dismissed the case of permanent release of Bhai Gurmeet Singh as Patiala DM did not recommend his release.
Bhai Gurmeet Singh
It is notable that Bhai Gurmeet Singh was sentenced to imprisonment for life in a case falling under the jurisdiction of Chandigarh administration and Patiala is his hometown where he spends his parole.
Advocate Manjpur said that Bhai Gurmeet Singh is getting regular parole since 2014 and he has completed more than dozen of paroles. Ignoring this fact Patiala district magistrate claimed in his report that Bhai Gurmeet Singh’s release may lead to “law and order problems”.
He said that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed Chandigarh administration to pass a speaking order with regard to the case of permanent release of Gurmeet Singh but Chandigarh administration dismissed his case citing Patiala DM’s negative report.
“As Chandigarh administration has failed to pass a speaking order in this matter, we shall challenge Chandigarh administration’s decision in a separate petition before the high court in coming days”, said Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjpur of Panjaab Lawyers.
Panjaab Lawyers has engaged senior Advocate Vijay Jindal to plead the case of Bhai Gurmeet Singh. Advocate Vijay Jindal is considered to be an expert in dealing with cases of premature release of prisoners undergoing imprisonment for life.