Deported from Thailand, Punjab man granted bail
PUNJAB POLICE HAD CLAIMED THAT TANDA HAD CONNECTIONS WITH PROKHALISTAN MILITANT ORGANISATIONS
AMRITSAR: A local court has granted default bail to Gurdev Singh Tanda,35, who was arrested on 28 February 2018, from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi after he was extradited from Thailand in an eight-year old terror case.
Defence counsel — Jaspal Singh Manjhpur and Navjit Singh Turna — on Saturday said that the court of additional session judge, Sarabjit Singh Dhaliwal, revised halqa magistrate’s order, observing that the magistrate had wrongfully denied default bail to Tanda.
Manjhpur said, “A bail application was moved before the magistrate’s court on May 30,2018 after the police had failed to file the chargesheet within 90 days of his arrest.”
“The magistrate had adjourned the hearing for next day. On May 31, the prosecution filed an application seeking 90-days extension in statutory time to file the chargesheet, following which the bail was denied,” he said.
“We challenged the magistrate’s order in session court. Allowing revision, additional sessions judge granted the bail. The court also observed that Gurdev Singh had incurred the right to be released on default bail after the expiry of 90-days period,” the defence counsel added.
He will be released from Amritsar jail in coming days as his bail bonds are yet to be furnished, said Manjhpur.
The Punjab Police had claimed that Tanda had connections with pro-khalistan militant organisations.
Resident of Jhajjan village, Hoshiarpur district, Tanda, was arrested under Sections 12A1, 122, 120-B of the IPC, 25/54/59 of the Arms Act, 3 and 4 of Explosives Act and 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and a case was registered against him at police station State Special Operations Cell (Amritsar) in 2010.