Ludhaina, Punjab (December 16, 2013): Bhai Gurbaksh Singh Khasla, a Sikh activist from Kurkshetra (Haryana) is on continuous hunger strike protest since November 14, 2013 seeking release 6 Sikh political prisoner who are languishing in Indian Jails despite having completed the terms of their sentences.
Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) has collected essential details of related to the cases of these 6 Sikh prisoners.
Here are the details:-
(1) Name: Gurmeet Singh Father’s Name: Jaswinder Singh Address: 1431, Street No. 4, Guru Nanak Nagar, Patiala. Prison: Burrail Jail. Details: Gurmeet Singh was convicted by the court of Shri Ravi Kumar, Additional Session Judge, Chandigarh on 31 July 2007 under sections 302, 307, 306, 120-B Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of Explosives Act. He is facing imprisonment for life and he remains confined in jail since 1995 (date of arrest 05 September, 1995). He has already undergone more than 18 years imprisonment. His jail conduct is good and he is never released since his arrest. His jail record is clean and there is no post conviction crime.
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(2) Name: Lakhwinder Singh Father’s Name: Darshan Singh Address: 156, Street No. 9, Guru Nanak Nagar, Opposite to Gurbaksh Colony, Patiala. Prison: Burrail Jail. Details: Lakhwinder Singh was convicted by the court of Shri Ravi Kumar, Additional Session Judge, Chandigarh on 31 July 2007 under sections 302, 307, 306, 120-B IPC and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of Explosives Act. He is facing imprisonment for life and he remains confined in jail since 1995 (date of arrest 05 September, 1995). He has already undergone more than 18 years imprisonment. His jail conduct is good and he is never released since his arrest. His jail record is clean and there is no post conviction crime.
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(3) Name: Shamsher Singh Father’s Name: Surjit Singh Address: VPO Ukasi Jattan, Rajpura, District Patiala. Prison: Burrail Jail. Details: Shamsher Singh was convicted by the court of Shri Ravi Kumar, Additional Session Judge, Chandigarh on 31 July 2007 under sections 302, 307, 306, 120-B IPC and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of Explosives Act. He is facing imprisonment for life and he remains confined in jail since 1995 (date of arrest 05 September, 1995). He has already undergone more than 18 years imprisonment. His jail conduct is good and he is never released since his arrest. His jail record is clean and there is no post conviction crime.
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It is pertinent to note that the court that sentenced above three persons to imprisonment to life had noted it in it’s judgement: “1642. Above all, there is also nothing on the file to say that these convicts were previous offenders or involved in any other criminal activities and as such there is no possibility of their reformation and rehabilitation. On the contrary, their act and conduct coupled with their roles forces this court to note that atleast these three convicts can be reformed and rehabilitated as a responsible citizen of India” (State v. Gurmeet Singh etc.; Sessions case no. 2-A of 1995).
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(4) Name: Lal Singh Father’s Name: Bhag Singh Address: Village Akalgarh District Kaupurthala, Punjab. Prison: Maximum Security Jail, Nabha. Lal Singh was convicted by the court of Sh. CK Butch, Designated Judge Ahmadabad Rural at Mirzapur (Gujrat) on 8 January 1997 under sections 3 and 5 of TADA Act, 120-B IPC, section 5 of Explosives Act and Section 25(1)(a) of Arms Act. He is facing imprisonment for life. He was arrested on 14 July 1992. He has spent 21 years in prison (including lawful remissions, excluding period of paroles). His jail record is clean and there is no post conviction crime. He has peacefully completed 20 paroles and there has never been any complaint of any form against him. It is pertinent to note that the Punjab and Haryana High Court twice found that his case was a fit case for permanent release from Jail and issued directions to the Gujrat government to consider his case for permanent release from Jail on both occasions but he still remains behind the bars.
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(5) Name: Wariam Singh Father’s Name: Atma Singh Address: Vilalge Bari Bara, District Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Prison: Bans-Bareli Jail, Uttar Pradesh. Details: Wariam Singh was convicted by the court of Designated Judge of Pillibhit (U.P.) on 10 January 1995 under sections 3 and 4 of TADA Act and Section 120-B of IPC. He is facing imprisonment for life. He was arrested on 17 April, 1990 and remains confined in jail till date. He has spent nearly 24 years in prison. He was never released from jail since the date of his arrest. His jail record is clean and there is no post conviction crime. It is pertinent to note that his co-accused Major Singh who was facing same sentenced pronounced by same court in same case has been granted permanent release by Uttar Pradesh Government earlier this year, but he still remains confined in jail.
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(6) Name: Gurdeep Singh Khaira Father’s Name: Banta Singh Address: VPO Jallupur Khaira, District Amritsar, Punjab. Prison: Gulbarg Jail, Karnatka. Details: Gurdeep Singh was convicted by the court of Designated Judge of Bider on 15 December 1991 under section 3 and 6 of TADA Act, sections 120-B, 302, 307 and 427 of IPC. He was sentenced to undergo imprisonment for life. He was arrested on December 6, 1990 and has spent more than 23 years in prison. He was never released from jail since the date of his arrest. His jail record is clean and there is no post conviction crime. It is pertinent to note that he remained confined in prisons far away from his home state Punjab through the period of last 23 years.
It must be noted that as per various jail manuals applicable in various jails of India, a life term convict’s case (who is facing imprisonment for life) is considered for permanent release from prison after he has served 14 years in prison. These Sikhs already completed this term but they are still languishing in Indian Jails.