NEW DELHI—Earlier this week, during a hearing in the Delhi court of Judge Ritesh Singh, Baljeet Singh Bhau has been released from Tihar Jail after an ordeal which has lasted over six years. While we are very pleased that an innocent man can finally return home, the way in which he was left with no choice but to plead guilty highlights the incompetence of the Indian ‘legal system.’
Baljeet Singh has been behind bars in Delhi’s notorious Tihar Jail since 2008 for his alleged involvement in the attempted murder of the fake Sirsa cult leader, Ram Rahim. In that time he had no court hearings and was not convicted of any charges. SOPW (Sikh Relief) fought a hard battle with the courts to obtain a parole release, which Baljeet Singh was finally granted earlier this year. When his case finally made it to court, the Judge informed Baljeet Singh that if he was to change his plea to ‘guilty’ he would be released with immediate effect.
Weighing up the fact that Sikhs have little hope for justice in India and given that it had already taken eight years to arrive to this point, with a heavy heart, Baljeet Singh changed his plea. He could no longer bear to watch his elderly parents suffer, they are not in good health and the long trips from Punjab to Delhi to visit their son and attend his court hearings were adding to their problems.
In court, the Judge sentenced Baljeet Singh, but declared the sentence ‘spent’ as he has served 8 years in jail awaiting trial. He was also fined a total of 7500 Rs under the Arms Act, UAPA and Section 121 – attempting to wage war.
