Framing of charges against Capt,others adjourned

When the case was called for the arguments on consideration to frame charges against the accused,the defence counsels sought to adjourn the matter till a similar case pending before the Supreme Court was decided.

Accepting the request,Special Judge S K Garg posted the matter to May 8 as Amarinder,Jagjit,Sharma and another accused skipped the court while 12 other accused were present. The court accepted the pleas seeking exemption from personal appearance in the court for today due to different reasons of all those accused absent.

Amarinder had moved the Apex Court seeking directions to quash the FIR registered against him and others by Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB),whom he accused of “playing as stooge of the present state government headed by Parkash Singh Badal”.

Meanwhile,Amarinder counsel moved a plea seeking permission to visit abroad from April 15 till May 17,which the VB strongly opposed while attributing it as an “attempt to escape”.

Rubbishing the apprehensions of the prosecution that former CM would not return back to escape the trial of the case,Amarinder’s counsel averred that he was a law abiding responsible and prominent figure,who has no such plans whatsoever the prosecution presumes to escape the law. He submitted that Amarinder wants to visit Dubai ,Abu Dhabi and Bangkok for release of his latest written book and accept an honour being offered by different organizations abroad.

After hearing the rival arguments,the court fixed Monday to pronounce the order on Amarinder’s plea.

On February 10,2009 ,the VB had presented a challan against 16 persons named as accused in the FIR registered in Mohali after grilling Amarinder at his Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala . The case was registered against Amarinder,Jagjit,Sharma and others after Amarinder was indicted by a Punjab Assembly panel and expelled from the house in September,2008.