Rozana Spokesman editor fails to get relief from Punjab
PunjabNewsline.com - Rozana Spokesman editor fails to get relief from Punjab HC
CHANDIGARH: Rozana Spokesman’s editor Joginder Singh has filed petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for pre-arrest bail a week after the Punjab Police registered an FIR against him on the allegations of the newspaper carrying “malicious writings about Sikh Gurus, Guru Granth Sahib, and various institutions of the Sikhs”.
In his petition against Punjab government, the state Director-General of Police and other respondents for grant of anticipatory bail, Joginder Singh asserted no offence was made out against him.The hearing on petition adjourned to April 19. As the petition was taken up by the vacation Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih on Tuesday, Joginder Singh added through counsel MS Lobana that an editorial carried out in the newspaper was misinterpreted and distorted to say it had hurt the feelings of the Sikh community.
He said a testimony to vendetta being at play was also provided by the fact that the case was registered at Amritsar, even though the newspaper was published from Mohali, and Joginder Singh was residing at Chandigarh.
Claiming that a fair trial would not be possible, he said intention apparently was to bring Joginder Singh to Amritsar, where the possibility of him being manhandled could not be ruled out.
After preliminary hearing, Justice Masih fixed April 19 as the next date of hearing.
Joginder Singh has been booked under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code. It all started on April 2, 2010, when SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar accompanied by a delegation of the Sant Samaj and chief of Damdami Taksal met the Punjab Chief Minister to demand action against the newspaper.
After a memorandum was submitted, the CM called for an in-depth study from a legal point of view.
A three-member inquiry committee, comprising Additional Advocates-General AS Jattana, Uttam Singh Dhaliwal and Baljinder Singh Sra was constituted by the state Advocate-General. The committee went through the memorandum as well as the writings.
It observed the “author has consistently, deliberately and maliciously questioned some of the very basic principles, practices and beliefs of the Sikh religion and its institutions, namely the five Takhts, Banis of the Nitnem and Sikh Ardas, etc…
“All this is grossly offensive and provocative being an attempt to insult and outrage the feelings of the Sikhs by questioning their religion and religious beliefs. It is the basic article of faith of the Sikhs that Guru Granth Sahib is the living Guru of the Sikhs and embodies a divine message.”
PunjabNewsline.com - Rozana Spokesman editor fails to get relief from Punjab HC
CHANDIGARH: Rozana Spokesman’s editor Joginder Singh has filed petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for pre-arrest bail a week after the Punjab Police registered an FIR against him on the allegations of the newspaper carrying “malicious writings about Sikh Gurus, Guru Granth Sahib, and various institutions of the Sikhs”.
In his petition against Punjab government, the state Director-General of Police and other respondents for grant of anticipatory bail, Joginder Singh asserted no offence was made out against him.The hearing on petition adjourned to April 19. As the petition was taken up by the vacation Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih on Tuesday, Joginder Singh added through counsel MS Lobana that an editorial carried out in the newspaper was misinterpreted and distorted to say it had hurt the feelings of the Sikh community.
He said a testimony to vendetta being at play was also provided by the fact that the case was registered at Amritsar, even though the newspaper was published from Mohali, and Joginder Singh was residing at Chandigarh.
Claiming that a fair trial would not be possible, he said intention apparently was to bring Joginder Singh to Amritsar, where the possibility of him being manhandled could not be ruled out.
After preliminary hearing, Justice Masih fixed April 19 as the next date of hearing.
Joginder Singh has been booked under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code. It all started on April 2, 2010, when SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar accompanied by a delegation of the Sant Samaj and chief of Damdami Taksal met the Punjab Chief Minister to demand action against the newspaper.
After a memorandum was submitted, the CM called for an in-depth study from a legal point of view.
A three-member inquiry committee, comprising Additional Advocates-General AS Jattana, Uttam Singh Dhaliwal and Baljinder Singh Sra was constituted by the state Advocate-General. The committee went through the memorandum as well as the writings.
It observed the “author has consistently, deliberately and maliciously questioned some of the very basic principles, practices and beliefs of the Sikh religion and its institutions, namely the five Takhts, Banis of the Nitnem and Sikh Ardas, etc…
“All this is grossly offensive and provocative being an attempt to insult and outrage the feelings of the Sikhs by questioning their religion and religious beliefs. It is the basic article of faith of the Sikhs that Guru Granth Sahib is the living Guru of the Sikhs and embodies a divine message.”
