Latest Breaking News from Punjab : Wednesday 18th July 2007

‘Keep off religious matters’

Fatehgarh Sahib, State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Rajinder Bhandari today said the party had kept silent on the dera issue as it considered that the political parties should not interfere in religious matters. Speaking to mediapersons at a local college at Alour, near here, Bhandari said the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) was playing a positive role in resolving the dera row. He, however, condemned the attack on the convoy of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh at Sirsa yesterday.
Bhandari said there were no differences between the BJP and the SAD and the two parties would share seats in the upcoming municipal elections just like they did in 1997 and 2000.

High Court Notice to Punjab over Dera chief’s plea

Chandigarh, Justice L.N. Mittal today issued notice of motion to Punjab over a petition by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him by the Bathinda police.The petitioner, through his counsel S.K.Garg Narwana, submitted that the FIR was nothing but an abuse of process of law. It was averred that the petitioner had never imitated Guru Gobind Singh and never wore blue attire as alleged in the FIR.
The petitioner submitted that the FIR was based on “false, frivolous and absurd charges”. It was asserted in the petitoin that the FIR was based on newspaper photograph and even that photograph did not give impression that Guru Gobind Singh’s “pictorial presentation”. It was also alleged that the FIR was lodged after “consultations, deliberations and confabulations”. The next hearing is on September 28.