Kapurthala, September 1
A local court today granted anticipatory bail to the former Kapurthala district bar association president Ashok Kumar Sabharwal. Sessions judge SP Bangar granted him anticipatory bail in a case filed against him under sections 452, 323, 354 and 506 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the complaint of Lakhwinder Kaur, a resident of central town.

The complainant alleged that on Friday afternoon Sabharwal entered her house with his driver and started thrashing her. He also threatened her to reach a compromise in a case being heard at a Jalandhar court. Giving details about the incident, SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said after receiving a call from Lakhwinder, a PCR team was sent to her house. While Sabharwal was beiug taken to the police station, he complaint of chest pain and fell on the ground.

Meanwhile, the bar members reportedly contacted DSP who asked the SHO city to investigate the case. Notably, last month a rape case was filed against Sabarwal. After an inquiry by Kapurthala DSP Sukhdev Singh Chinna, an FIR was also registered. However, SSP marked a re-inquiry to SP (HQ) after a bar body delegation met him.

Phagwara, September 1
Local police registered a case of fraud against four persons on Saturday. The accused, identified as Gurmail Singh of Mauli village, his son Surinder Singh, Gurpaul Kaur, wife of Sucha Singh of Mauli and Hans Raj of Muthadda Kalan village, had sold 164-marla land on fake documents.

Phagwara DSP HPS Khakh while giving the details told newsmen that Phattu Ram was the real owner of the land. He had donated the plot to Ramgarhia Educational Council, which was running a school there. However, the institution was lying closed for past several years. So Phattu Ram’s son Faquir Singh alias Mehar Singh took the possession of the land and started farming on it.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the alleged accused Gurmail Singh succeeded to purchase the land from REC, but Faquir refused to give possession. Ultimately Gurmail filed a civil suit in the local court, on May 23, 2000. The court gave its verdict in favour of Mehar Singh on August 26, 2000. Gurmail again filed an appeal in session court but it was dismissed.

Gurmail hatched a conspiracy of fraud and made a deal with Darshan Lal, a resident of Hargobind Nagar, and received Rs 40 lakh as advance from the total sum of Rs 1.066 crore. A case has been registered and investigations are still on.

Hoshiarpur, September 1
Twenty-two-year-old Shashi Bala lost her husband, Baldev Raj, to AIDS. But instead of sympathies, Shashi, who was also tested HIV positive, only got curses from her in-laws and was later kicked out of the house.

After the death of her husband, the woman was kicked out of the house by her in-laws. She was also refused share in the property

Coming to her rescue, the Family Counselling Centre (FCC), Hoshiarpur, brought much-needed relief to the affected and got her remarried with a HIV positive man.

As in-laws were not ready to share any part of their property with Shashi and her parents being too poor to afford treatment, the District Red Cross Society provided her financial assistance for tests and treatment at the PGI, Chandigarh.

In the process of counselling, the FCC advised Shashi and her parents for a remarriage and subsequently arranged her marriage with Mohinder Singh of Kissan village in Kaithal, also HIV positive undergoing treatment at the PGI, Chandigarh. Shashi Bala presently leads a happy married life, says FCC chairperson Urveshi Tiwari.

This is not the only case where the FCC, under the patronage of Association for Social Health in India and District Red Cross Society, came to the rescue of the needy. It is doing commendable job in settling marital disputes and rehabilitation of those women who had been deserted by their husbands. The centre has 36 lady members and out of those 11  are involved in resolving marital disputes.

Tiwari says the centre has received as many as 53 cases of marriage disputes including five that of NRIs, eight of dowry, 33 of family problems, three of property disputes, one of inter-caste marriage, four each of extra marital affair of spouse and deserted by husbands of which 38 had been resolved. Negotiations in 15 cases are going on, she adds.

The FCC also settled a case of inter-caste marriage involving a SC girl and Jat boy, who got stiff resistance in their marriage despite girl being six-month pregnant. The members of the FCC persuaded the parents of the boy to accept the girl.

The centre solved a case of a missing girl. Priyanka (13) daughter of Sudhakar Pathak of Mittial Colony, Prahladpura left her house with an unknown person and was later dumped near Chabbewal village in Hoshiarpur. The girl was taken to panchayat by the villagers and afterward the panchayat members brought the girl to Red Cross office here.

At first the girl did not disclose her identity accurately but after a series of counselling she gave the needed details. Priyanka’s parents were traced and she was handed over to the parents, Urveshi Tiwari says.

For women and girls, who need protection and shelter, a short stay home had been constructed in the premises of District Red Cross Bhavan  here, she says.

The central government had sanctioned a grant for a helpline at Hoshiarpur, which would be set up for women and girls in order to provide them immediate help in case of domestic violence or molestation. This project would start soon,  she adds.

Phillaur, September 1
Even after one year, the police has failed to issue challans against three accused for abetting suicide of additional chief judicial magistrate’s brother. And now there are fresh orders from the Jalandhar DIG to re-investigate the case.

additional chief judicial magistrate Ramesh Kumari, belonging to SC community and a resident of Phillaur, presently posted at Barnala, lost his brother, Manoj Kumar (33), after he committed suicide due to the alleged harassment at the hands of his colleagues Arun Goel, Nishan Singh and Jagmohan Singh for marrying out of caste. “After his marriage with a girl belonging to general category, the accused continuously taunted and insulted Manoj,” alleged Ramesh Kumari and Ram Lal, sister and brother, respectively, of the deceased. They said their brother could not tolerate this humiliation and ultimately hanged himself on September 6, 2006.

The police officials including the then SSP Jalandhar and present DIG Jalandhar were reluctant to pursue the case trying to shield the accused, they added. It has been learnt that one of the accused has close relations with the police officials.

Though the police registered a case under Section 306 of the IPC on September 7, it did not add the provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which was later added on the intervention of ADGP (Law and Order) Chander Shekher in December 2006, Kumari said.

They alleged that despite legal opinion of district attorney (legal) Jalandhar, the police did not issue the process of challaning. They further alleged that the DIG Jalandhar has ordered a re-investigation into the case only to help the accused.

When contacted, DIG Jalandhar Narinder Paul Singh said though he could not remember the exact status of the case but said law will take its own course and justice would be provided to each and every citizen.

When asked about his order to re-investigate the case, the DIG said it can be ordered at any stage in order to provide justice. 

Nawanshahr, September 1
A number of SAD workers, including SGPC member Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, Governing Council and Working Committee members, Jaswinder Singh Anokherwal, Santokh Singh Malla, Paramjit Singh Mirpur were denied entry to the venue where Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, paid tributes to the members of the Babbar Akali Movement, at village Daulapur.

Talking to the media persons here today, the irate leaders said the police officials denied their admission on the pretext that the list included the names of only six members. Following the denial the aggrieved leaders contacted another Trust member Taranjit Singh Thandi to enquire about the matter. However, Thandi said their names were included in the list. However, the administration did not permitting their entry.

The SAD leaders and workers made up their mind to stage a protest dharna at the venue but, later they decided to boycott the function in protest. Accusing the administration of adopting negative attitude towards SAD workers, SGPC member, Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, urged the CM to rein in bureaucracy. — OC