NEW DELHI: The apex Supreme Court Friday ordered that a petition by Akali Dal (M) president, S.S. Mann, seeking a hearing on the validity of trial of Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha, convicted in killing of general A S Vaidya, be listed along with the confirmation proceedings of their capital sentence.

The direction was given by a division bench comprising justice K NSingh and Justice T K Thommen after hearing R S Sodhi, and advocate appearing as amicus curae for Mann.

Sodhi told the judges that a reference was pending in Supreme Court for confirmation for death sentence awarded to Jinda and Sukha by a special designated court in Pune (Maharashtra) last year.

Mann, who had appeared in person in the Supreme Court last week, submitted that he should be heard on the validity, propriety and constitutionality of their trial as well as their sentence.

Mann said in the petition that Akali Dal wanted to bring peace and normalcy in Punjab and for that a “healing touch” was required.

He said that “many innocent lives have been lost and this has created sufferings and disappointments and occasionally feelings of revenge. These can be eliminated or at least diluted by taking some significant steps which bear the look of magnanimity and a desire to forgive and forget.”

He submitted that he had publicly appealed to the government to spare the lives of Jinda and Sukha,

As an interim measure, Mann said that pending a final decision, Jinda and Sukha should be dealt with as “ordinary prisoners” and removed from the death row of Yerawada prison in Pune.

 

Panthic panel clarifies stand

 

AMRITSAR: Baba Wassan Singh in a press statement to the World Sikh News has categorically stated that he or the Panthic Committee did not have any differences among themselves or with any militant organizations. He warned Sikhs not to be misled by the government manipulated Indian press.

He reiterated that all the militant bodies had the same goal Khalistan and would not move away from this objective at any cost.

Baba Wassan Singh appealed to the Sikhs abroad to unite and strengthen the hands of the freedom fighters at this crucial stage in the war of independence.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 16, 1990