Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, on behalf of the Sikh community honored two attorneys Ms. Mary Pike and Ronald L. Kuby, who helped in reversing the extradition cases of Ranjit S. Gill and Sukhminder S. Sandhu, during its celebration of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.
The extradition to India of these two Sikhs accused of murder in that country has been blocked by a federal Judge in September.
The Indian Govt. has charged that Gill was the triggerman in the 1985 slaying of an Indian member of parliament, Lalit Maken who had been apparently involved in the mass killings of Sikhs in New Delhi in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. It has charged Sandhu was the ‘mastermind’ of the 1986 murder of Gen. Arun Kumar Sridhar Vaidya, a former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, who planned the army attack on the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.
Judge Robert Sweet, in overturning the extradition case on Sept 27, stayed the release of the two men for 30 days, to allow for a Govt. appeal of his ruling. The Indian Govt. refiled the extradition case on Monday, Oct.29.
Mr. Ronald L. Kuby, William
- Kunstler and Ms Mary pike famous civil rights lawyers represented the Sikhs. Ms. Pike and Mr Kuby addressed the congregation. These two attorneys from last 34 years have been actively fighting this case and for that they made a special trip to India in 1987 to collect more information on human rights violations. During their stay in Chandigarh, they met scores of people and obtained many affidavits from Sikh individuals who had gone through torture or whose relatives have been killed by the security forces in Punjab.
Mary Pike, who has worked closely with Leonard Budeen, another civil rights lawyer, while speaking to the congregation said, that, “we saw in Punjab that there really was not a single family which had not been touched in some profound and terrible way by the tragedy that is going on there. And that is literally the genocide and suppression of an entire people. That is truly the most brutal and violent desecration of human rights.”
She further stated that, “because of the information we collected, we succeeded in having Amnesty International join us in saying to the American Judge and Lawmakers that yes, we agree that these two young men must not be sent back and that they will meet death if they are. That was a proud and significant moment for us and indeed should be for the entire community.”
She further declared that, “there are people in the American Govt. who are willing to let this happen. We are committed to see that other American people know this hat until there is justice for Sikhs in d other minorities in India, that country will never be at peace and people will never be permitted to live there with the simple dignity hat is everybody’s due. This will be our small contribution in the brave fight.” Ronald L. Kuby speaking to the congregation said, that.
“We are not lawyers who simply make money for the cases we fight are lawyers who must believe in the cause that we pursue is the just.” He added that, “through our discussion with Sikhs here and in India, we have come to believe that the struggle for Sikh religious liberty is a profound struggle for human rights ranks on a par with struggle of Afro-American’s for civil rights and the struggle all around the world for peace, independence and liberty.”
He further added that, “the thing that impressed me most about the Sikhs is your tremendous capacity to endure suffering and the people of Punjab communicated to us as a symbol of this spirit of Sikh people and your tremendous determination and willingness to suffer on behalf of your principles and religious liberty. You indeed have proven what Mahatma Gandhi had said of you in 1948 that Sikhs are brave people who will not hesitate to defend themselves by use of arms if that becomes necessary”. He declared that, 3 % years ago Indian Govt. thought of us as just annoyances, like flies buzzing around the head. 3 % years later these flies have become wasps and 3 % years hence the wasps will become elephants.” The struggle of Gill and Sandhu to win justice in American court in the face of persecution by the Indian Govt, has come to a point where we have won a major victory towards their freedom.
Ronald Kuby, who has grown a beard and long hair since the case said in the congregation, that, “I have quit smoking and by next year, I will be ready for a turban.”
The federal judge had refused to extradite Gill and Sandhu after the defense presented to the court a news story from an Indian paper that in May 1988 a confession used by the Govt. in Pune as evidence against the two was found by an Indian court to be “neither voluntary nor true”.
Gill and Sandhu had been brought before magistrate Ronald Hedges in Newark, New Jersey, in February 1988, and he ordered their extradition based on evidence submitted by the Indian Govt. that included Singh’s confession. That order was appealed.
An earlier whit of habeas corpus filed by Sandhu and Gill challenging their certifications of extraditability was hit by “startling revelation” that the Special Assistant US. Attorney Judy Russell, entrusted to conduct the extradition proceedings on behalf of the Indian Govt, had sent in threatening letters to the extradition magistrate and herself during the course of the proceedings which was brought into light by FBI.
While introducing the attorneys, Dr. Rajwant Singh, executive Director of Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (G.G.S.F.) said, that, “Gill and Sandhu have become the symbol of the Sikh struggle against the ruthless Govt. of India. The real issue is that these young men are not willing to give up their right to seek and agitate for self-determination for Sikhs. Sikh organization like Sikh Cultural Society and W.S.O. needs to be commended for being in the forefront in fighting this case. Sikhs are especially grateful to Human Rights stalwarts like William Kunstler and his colleagues for making this fight as their own.”
- Amrik Singh Kaisth, chairman of G.G.S.F. who presented the plaques to both attorneys and said that, “we appreciate their efforts to safeguard human rights of our brethren and we pray to almighty God to guide them and help them to continue this noble task of struggling for the human rights of all people which is given to everybody by God.”
Article extracted from this publication >> November 30, 1990
