Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A local court in Ludhiana Tuesday sent dismissed DSP Balwinder Singh Sekhon and his aide Pardeep Sharma to three-day police remand for allegedly using derogatory and offensive language against a bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter in February, the high court had ordered the arrest of the duo and sentenced them to six-month simple imprisonment for contempt of court. They were sent to Model Jail in Burail. Later, on March 22, the Ludhiana police had registered an FIR against them in the matter.
Advocate Sachin Arora, counsel for Sekhon, said that the duo was sent to police remand by the court till April 20.
The high court action against Sekhon and Sharma had come after purported videos surfaced on social media showing the senior police officer levelling “personal allegations” against the judges of a bench that was hearing drug-related cases of Punjab.
An FIR against the duo was registered on March 22 under Sections 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 506 (Criminal intimidation) and 120-B (Conspiracy) of the IPC at the division number 5 police station.
The FIR stated that on February 20, Sekhon, who was present in the Ludhiana court complex, “uploaded a video on social media via a web channel in which he used derogatory language against judges of High Court to mislead the people”.
On February 24, when the High Court pronounced six-month imprisonment for the duo, Sekhon had allegedly shouted “Judicial gundagardi murdabad (down with judicial highhandedness)” in the open court and the court said “he had further impounded the contempt”.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
