Maur blast case trial drags on despite HC’s push to expedite

Bathinda: More than 21 months after the Punjab and Haryana high court directed an expedited trial into the 2017 Maur terror blast, a majority of the 136 prosecution witnesses are yet to examined.During the latest hearing on Wednesday, the matter was adjourned to July 9. On Aug 20, 2024, a bench of then HC Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and justice Anil Kshetarpal had disposed of a petition seeking to transfer the probe to the NIA or CBI, choosing instead to trust the trial court to fast-track proceedings. Since the prime accused remain at large, the trial is being conducted in their absence under section 299 of the CrPC (now Section 335 of the BNSS, 2023) before the judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) in Talwandi Sabo. On Jan 31, 2017, a car bomb ripped through an election rally for Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi just four days before the Punjab assembly elections. The explosion killed seven people, including five children, and injured dozens. The Punjab Police subsequently booked three suspects, Gurtej Singh, Amrik Singh, Avtar Singh, allegedly associated with the Dera Sacha Sauda. The three were declared proclaimed offenders on Oct 19, 2018. While a chargesheet was filed in Jan 2020, the prosecution evidence stage has dragged on for over six years. In terms of asset recovery, an auction of property registered under the name of accused Amrik Singh raised Rs 49.25 lakh on Aug 5, 2024. The proceeds were deposited in the bank in two installments on Aug 7 and 14, 2024. Meanwhile, police investigations revealed that the other two accused, Gurtej Singh and Avtar Singh, hold no assets in their names. According to the Bathinda Police, "Lookout circulars were issued against them to prevent their escape to foreign countries. Passports of all three accused had been revoked. Regular raids were conducted to arrest the wanted accused." MSID:: 131632341 413 |