Don’t Harass Bajwa Unnecessarily : High Court

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): In a hearing today, the Punjab and Haryana High Court came down heavily on the Punjab Police over an FIR filed against Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa for a statement he made. The court was hearing Bajwa’s petition seeking cancellation of the FIR, and directed the state not to harass him without reason.

Senior Advocate R.S. Cheema, representing Bajwa, informed the court that Bajwa is fully cooperating with the investigation. However, despite that, the police are repeatedly sending him notices and troubling him. Cheema added that around 30 police personnel were deployed outside Bajwa’s residence, asking him to join the investigation, which he termed as completely unjustified.

The High Court instructed the Punjab Government not to trouble Bajwa unnecessarily. It allowed the police to continue their investigation but asked them not to harass the leader.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 22. In his petition, Bajwa has requested that the FIR filed under Sections 353(2) and 197(1)(D) of the Indian Penal Code be quashed.

The FIR was based on a statement made by Bajwa during a TV show aired on April 13, in which he raised questions about the law and order situation in Punjab, referring to bomb blasts that occurred over the past six months.