Patiala, October 20
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President, Bibi Jagir Kaur, was today refused permission to travel to the USA to attend the bhog ceremony of Harbhajan Singh Khalsa on October 23.
The court of Additional Sessions Judge S. P. Bangarh dismissed the application that was submitted by the SGPC President yesterday.
Public prosecutors S. K. Saxena and V. K. Handa from the CBI asserted that the SGPC chief was accused of being the main conspirator in a heinous crime involving the murder of her daughter Harpreet. They said in case she did not return from abroad, the entire case would be thrown into disarray as initiating repatriation proceedings would be a very time-consuming process.
It was asserted that Bibi Jagir Kaur’s presence was needed in the court. The prosecutors pointed out that earlier too the court had rejected a similar application proffered by her, in which she had wanted to go to the USA to take part in a function to mark the death anniversary of her husband, Baba Prem Singh.
Bibi’s counsel Satnam Singh claimed that she had been invited to the USA not only by the family of Harbhajan Singh Khalsa but also the “sadh sangat” in that country, apart from the Chairman of the National Minorities Commission. He asserted there was no question of her not returning.
