Chandigarh, 22 February 2025 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the trial court in Faridkot to halt proceedings in a sacrilege-related case involving former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and others, where they face charges including attempted murder.
Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya issued the order while hearing a petition from former Moga SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, who has sought to transfer the trial from Faridkot to Chandigarh. The case is currently before the Additional Sessions Judge, Faridkot, and was registered at Kotkapura’s City police station on August 7, 2018.
The high court adjourned the matter to March 10 but restrained the trial court from moving forward, noting that a connected murder trial—related to the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing—had already been shifted to Chandigarh last year.
That case, registered at Bajakhana police station, involved the deaths of two protesters demonstrating against incidents of sacrilege in Faridkot.
The petitioner’s counsel, advocates Sangram Singh Saron and MB Rajwade, mentioned that the trial court had referred the pending case for transfer, but the matter remains undecided. Meanwhile, the framing of charges was scheduled for February 24.
During previous hearings, the high court had underlined that a fair trial is fundamental to Article 21 of the Constitution, requiring a process free from bias against either the accused or the victims.
The court was informed that multiple sacrilege incidents, including desecration of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, occurred in Faridkot between June and October 2015, triggering widespread outrage and violent protests.
To contain the unrest, authorities resorted to measures to maintain order. Several FIRs were subsequently registered in connection with these events.
