NEW DELHE: Nine alleged extremist’s charge sheeted under the Terrorist Act three years ago were acquitted by a Session Court of New Delhi for want of evidence. Ordering the acquittal of Baldev Singh, Sucha Singh, Swaran Singh, Ranjit Singh, Kashmira Singh, Jagdev Singh, Om Prakash Bakshi, Yashpal Kashyap and Mohinder Kaur, the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Ms Usha Mehra said, “from the evidence available on record it is clear that the prosecution has miserably failed to bring home the guilt of any of the accused.” While Om Prakash, Yashpal and Mohinder are already on bail, the remaining six have been detained in Tihar Central Jail since 1986. All of them were charged under Sections 3 and 4 of TADA Act, 420 468 and 471 of Indian Penal Code and 12 of Passport Act.
The allegations leveled against them by prosecution were harboring Harjinder Singh alias Jinda, Sukhvinder Singh alias Sukha, Gurit Singh and Ranjit Singh at their homes in Delhi and arranging forged passports for them to leave India. Four of the arrested persons, Swaran Singh, Ranjit Singh, Jagdey Singh and Yashpal Kashyap were also accused of supplying arms and ammunition to Jinda and his men. Ms Mehra’s ruling apparently took all the accused present before her by surprise. A few of their relatives who have come to the Patiala House courtroom to attend the hearing later raised slogans supporting the verdict.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 5, 1990
