ROPAR: The prosecution’s independent witness produced on behalf of the Punjab state before Baldev Singh, additional district and session’s judge, Ropar, turned hostile, in a case registered against Simranjit Singh Mann, an Akali leader. Charanjit Singh Walia, former MP and others, are also named in the case filed under Sections 124A and 153A for delivering objectionable speeches at Gurdwara Parivar Vichhora near here in December, 1993. An independent witness, Malkiat Singh, a sarpanch of the gram panchayat of Makorri village, was produced by the police in the court for giving evidence against Mann and others. However, in a volte face, he stated before the court on at, that he never gave any statement to the police against Mann in this case, He said that he had never visited the Gurdwara Parivar Vichhora and had never heard the alleged inciting speeches of the Akali leaders.
The additional district attorney, Ropar, S.D. Patil, requested the court to declare the witness as hostile.
Mann and Charanjit Singh Walia, both Akali leaders, were present in the court at this time. The accused were represented by Sarbjit Singh and Mann Singh of Rajpura, both advocates.
The court has fixed July 17 for presenting the remaining prosecution ‘evidence. The police did not allow the local journalists to meet Mann in the court complex here. But the media persons managed to get Mann’s statement through his counsel.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 9, 1995
