New York, United States (July 05, 2013): A US based Rights Group “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) has raised the reward from $10,000 to $20,000 for successful service of US court summons on visiting Punjab CM Parkash Badal. The reward for serving Badal has been raised due to the aura of secrecy around time and place of Badal’s arrival, schedule of meetings and duration of his stay in the US. CM Badal is expected to attend a marriage ceremony in Milwaukee on July 06.
Parkash Singh Badal
Initially SFJ announced the reward of $10000 for successfully serving Badal during his visit to US, but it did not generate any positive leads about CM’s itinerary. While raising the reward to $20,000, right group also announced to extend the reward to anyone whose information will lead to the service of US Court summons to Badal.
After the dismissal of first lawsuit, SFJ, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) an opposition political party in Punjab headed by Simranjit Singh Mann and several victims of police torture have filed a fresh human rights violation lawsuit on June 26 against CM Badal and Sukhbir Badal.
Attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ stated that “we will continue our efforts to serve Badal with summons to make him accountable before foreign courts for protecting and shielding human rights violators.” SFJ has posted a copy of the Federal Court Summons and Complaint on their facebook page www.facebook.com/sikhsforjusticepage and have placed the same at Wisconsin and Chicago Gurudwaras for public to serve on CM Badal added attorney Pannun.
In the complaint filed before US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, victims allege that in retaliation of their August 2012 lawsuit, SAD-Badal regime in Punjab “unleashed a reign of terror, intimidation and abuse against the family members of named plaintiffs living in India and others who are associated with named plaintiffs in India”. Citing the appointment of Sumedh Saini as DGP, the victims’ complaint further alleges that CM Parkash Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, throughout their tenure “have actively shielded, protected and promoted the police who were or have been involved in gross human rights violations, extra judicial killings and torture”.