Faridkot: Punjab’s Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal appeared before a sessions court in Faridkot yesterday (July 5), in a case attempt to murder case registered against him in June 2006. The case pertains to poll violence.
The court had summoned Deputy CM after a complainant Naresh Kumar Sehgal of Kotakpura filed petition challenging lower court’s decision of acquitting Sukhbir of all charges.
On April 2, the court of judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) Satish Kumar acquitted Sukhbir in attempt to murder case as the prosecution failed to prove charges against him.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Sukhbir Badal reached court premises and marked his presence before district sessions judge Satwinder Singh Chahal. The next hearing in the case is on August 19.
The court granted bail to Sukhbir on a surety of Rs 50,000. While the counsel of Sukhbir Badal sought the exemption for his client from the personal appearance, Naresh demanded that the court confiscate the passport of the Deputy CM so that he could not leave the country pending a decision in this case. The court kept a decision on these demand pending for August 19.
The case was registered against Sukhbir Badal on the directions of Punjab and Haryana high court in 2006 based on a petition from Sehgal, alleging that Badal and others had snatched his camera and assaulted him.
The Kotkapura police in June 2006 registered the case at the city police station under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 392 (robbery), 323 (punishment for causing hurt voluntarily), 327 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort property), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.