Chandigarh, July 7: The Additional District Sessions Judge in Chandigarh on Tuesday granted permission to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to travel abroad. The court accepted his request to travel for personal engagements and family commitments between July 7 and July 11.
Mr. Badal, who faces charges related to the Kotkapura police firing case, assured the court of his timely return. In his application, the SAD chief affirmed, “I will return to the country before the next date of hearing.” The case, which involves several provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, was originally registered at the Kotkapura police station on August 7, 2018, before the Punjab and Haryana High Court transferred the proceedings to the Chandigarh court from Faridkot.
The legal proceedings stem from events on October 14, 2015, when police personnel opened fire on demonstrators protesting against earlier sacrilege incidents at gurdwaras in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala villages. While the separate firing incident at Behbal Kalan resulted in two fatalities, the Kotkapura episode left multiple individuals injured.
