Punjab: No proposal for premature release of convicts in Khalra murder case, says AAP

Chandigarh, Jul 9 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday rejected allegations that the Punjab government had approved any proposal for the premature release of convicts in the activist Jaswant Singh Khalra murder case, asserting that no such file had been signed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Addressing a press conference, Punjab AAP's media in-charge Baltej Pannu said reports claiming that the state government had recommended the premature release of former DSP Jaspal Singh, a convict in the murder case, were "false and fabricated". He said the case was investigated by the CBI, and under Section 477 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), corresponding to Section 435 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), any proposal for premature release in a CBI-investigated case falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Pannu maintained that the Punjab government has neither received nor processed any proposal from the MHA regarding the premature release of the convicts. According to him, Jaspal Singh had applied for premature release before the MHA in 2017, but the request was rejected in 2018. A fresh proposal was again referred to the MHA in 2019 following approval by the governor, while similar proposals relating to co-convicts Satnam Singh, Surinder Singh and Jasbir Singh were rejected by the MHA in March 2023. He said the cases were again referred to the MHA in October 2023 and no concurrence has been received so far. Pannu alleged that opposition parties, particularly the Shiromani Akali Dal, were spreading misinformation by claiming that the Punjab government had signed a remission file and sent it to the governor. He also referred to a recent statement by Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of the late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, alleging that SAD had failed to fulfil its promise of ensuring justice in the case after coming to power in 1997. Pannu further alleged that officers accused in the case were rewarded with higher positions instead of being brought to justice. Referring to the film 'Satluj', Pannu alleged that it was removed from an OTT platform within hours and accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to suppress facts relating to Punjab's troubled past. He also criticised certain media organisations for allegedly publishing reports without verification and urged the Punjab government to initiate legal action against those spreading "false information". According to the fact sheet released by AAP, eight persons were convicted in the Khalra murder case, of whom four have died. The surviving convicts are Jaspal Singh, Satnam Singh, Surinder Singh and Jasbir Singh. Three of them are currently out on bail pursuant to orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, while Surinder Singh remains in custody in another case. PTI VSD KVK KVK