Faridkot sessions court to hear Kotkapura police firing case from November 21

Faridkot, November 4

The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC), Faridkot, on Saturday committed the trial of the October 14, 2015, Kotkapura police firing case to the district sessions court after observing that the offence was exclusively triable by a sessions court.

The records of the case would be placed before the sessions court on November 21. In addition to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, many police officers, including IGP Paramraj Singh Umranangal, a former DIG, and a former SSP, are the accused in the case.

JMIC Ajaypal Singh observed that the allegations against the accused were of attempt to murder under Section 307 of the IPC, which was exclusively triable by a sessions court. Only Sukhbir Singh Badal today appeared before the court here while all other accused had moved their applications for exemption from personal appearance. All accused will now appear before the sessions court on November 21.

The JMIC today dismissed the applications moved by some police officials who had sustained injuries during the clash between protesters and the police on October 14, 2015, at Kotkapura. These police officials had demanded that the court take cognisance of offences against the protesters who had inflicted serious injuries on them. The SIT had opposed this move, claiming its investigation against the protesters was underway.

In their application in the court on August 28, these police officials had named 14 persons among the protesters who had allegedly attacked them on duty, leaving 40 of them injured.

In their application, they had claimed that though the SIT had already submitted a 13-minute video in the court which showed protesters attacking the policemen, the SIT had not taken cognisance of the video so far.