NEW DELHI, India—The Supreme Court of India (SCI) today acquitted a 1987 TADA case related to Ludhiana Bank robbery acquitting all 10 elderly Sikhs who were convicted of a 1o years term by a trial court in 2012.
On November 20, 2012, a TADA Court in Ludhiana has sentenced 10 Sikhs to 10 years imprisonment, in the Ludhiana Bank robbery case dating back to 12 February, 1987. The designated TADA court had sentenced these 12 Sikhs to 10 years imprisonment each. Of these 12 persons, Bhai Daljeet Singh and Bhai Gursharan Singh Gamma had completed their sentence, while remaining 10 Sikhs were sent to prisons.
The court observed that the 10 appealing individuals were not involved in the bank robbery therefore TADA was not applicable to them. The court also observed that the 10 were not part of a conspiracy to conduct the said act therefore they could not be convicted.
In regards to the cash recovered from the prisoners at the time of arrest, the court observed that the CBI has failed to prove that such cash was actually connected to the concerned bank in Ludhiana.
Advo. Jaspal Singh Manjhpur said that Bapu Assa Singh has been on bail for the last two years while the others 9 elderly Sikhs were still languishing in prisons. He said that the release of these 9 Sikhs is expected expected within the coming days.
These 10 Sikhs include Bapu Assa Singh, aged over 96 years, (in Bail), S. Maan Singh, aged 70, of Dholewal (Ludhaina), Avtar Singh, aged 78; Mohan Singh, 74, of Pattar Kalan (Jalandhar); Harbhajan Singh, 86, of Sharihn; Saroop Singh, 68, of Bisrampur (Jalandhar); Balwinder Singh, 64, of Village Tahli (Jalandhar) and Sewa Singh, 75, of Chak Raju Singh (Hoshiarpur); Gurjant Singh, aged 74 and Harinder Singh, aged 57.
All u gunde r capable of just terrorising innocents and chamche like u will agree with all inhumane acts much clear view from rss dogs
10 innocent Sikhs released for good propaganda, 10 thousand innocent Sikhs disappeared for real life. Very good. These Sikhs we may detain them once more for fake reasons because suspicion still there. Police will be going to house regularly. We spare no one.
And yet despite all that persecution and human rights abuses the Sikhs endure and are still unbowed. You are only forging steel by putting our iron into the fire as martyrdom is ingrained in our psyche and nature because of our faith in Waheguru. You only have stone idols and animal worship so of course you behave inhumanely and without decency or compassion for your fellow human beings but your karmic fate is far worse than any thing you can inflict upon the Sikhs who live in Chardi Kala as you make more and more heroes for us to be inspired by.
Are we suppose to cry or rejoice this verdict. I don’t think any judge with a law degree could be so blind that he or she didn’t see the stupidity of convicting someone on the basis such flimsy evidence or the convictions were predetermined by the authorities in power and the evidence was not required and the trial was just for show.The only way justice to these and other victims of TADA courts is to put all those persons, cops who arrested these persons, lawyers who prosecuted them and judges who sentenced them behind bars for next 31 years.