HC dismisses pleas seeking CBI probe into desecration of religious texts, challenging Ranjit Singh Commission

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday dismissed the petitions seeking a CBI probe into the desecration of religious texts and police firing incidents in the state in 2015 and challenging the findings of Ranjit Singh Commission into the incidents.

Justice Rajan Gupta said the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the Punjab government would probe the incidents.

A bunch of petitions challenging the findings of the commission had been filed by former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, his gunman, former Mansa SSP Raghbir Singh, and SHOs Amarjit Singh and Shamsher Singh.

The petitioners had demanded a CBI probe into the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and related police firings.

 

They had also challenged a Punjab Assembly resolution passed in August last year for taking back investigation of the incidents from the Central Bureau of Investigation.

"The court has dismissed the petitions," said their counsel S P S Sidhu here.

With the dismissal, the interim stay granted on proceedings against police officers for their alleged role in firing on protesters at Behbal Kalan in 2015 where two people died, stands vacated.

Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda said the court also rejected the demand for a CBI probe and "expressed faith" in the SIT.

On Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, Nanda said, "Our stand has been that the findings of the commission are meant for the information of the government. These are not findings of the court of law as such."

Last year, the state government added the names of the four police officials in an FIR registered at Baja Khana police station in Faridkot under IPC sections for murder and attempt to murder.

Their names were added on the recommendation of the commission report on police firing at Behbal Kalan.

The officials had challenged the findings of the commission, contending that no notification was issued to wind up an earlier panel, the Zora Singh Commission, set up to probe the state-wide incidents of desecration of the holy book.