High court dismisses Badals’ plea to quash forgery complaint

A HOSHIARPUR COURT HAD SUMMONED BADALS, PARTY LEADER DALJIT CHEEMA IN A 2009 CASE OF FORGERY

CHANDIGARH : The high court on Friday dismissed a 2019 plea from former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, and senior SAD vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema in an alleged case of forgery involving their undertakings with regard to the constitution of their outfit.

They had approached the high court after on November 4, 2019, a court of additional chief judicial magistrate, Hoshiarpur, had summoned Badals and Cheema in a 2009 case of alleged forgery and cheating filed by one Balwant Singh Khera. The high court had stayed the trial.

“The court has dismissed their plea. However, in view of advance age of Parkash Singh Badal, he has been exempted from attending proceedings,” said one of the lawyers, Ish Puneet Singh. Detailed judgment is awaited.

In February 2009, Khera had filed the complaint alleging forgery by way of submitting forged documents. He alleged that the SAD possessed two constitutions – one that it had submitted with the Gurdwara Election Commission and the other with the Election Commission of India (ECI). As per Khera, originally a religious party, in 1989, the SAD had given a false undertaking to the ECI that it had amended its constitution to incorporate the principles of socialism and secularism to fulfil the constitutional obligation to obtain recognition as a political party. The party continued its activities as a religious as well as a political outfit on two contradictory constitutions, which is nothing but fraud and forgery, he had alleged, adding that party initiated the amendment much later in the form of a resolution.