An Amritsar court has granted bail to Narain Singh Chaura, who allegedly opened fire at former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple in December 2024. Chaura, 69, has been booked under sections 109 (attempt to murder) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita along with sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. He was asked to furnish bonds worth Rs 1 lakh along with a surety of the same amount. According to the prosecution, Chaura attempted to attack Badal near Ghanta Ghar while the SAD leader was performing a religious punishment imposed by the Akal Takht. When the security personnel stationed at the site subdued Chaura, a gunshot was fired into the air during the scuffle. Chaura’s counsel—Jaspal Singh Manjhpur, Baljinder Singh Bajwa and J S Randhawa—argued that he was falsely implicated in the case. Stating that he had been in custody for over three and a half months, they claimed the trial’s conclusion would take considerable time. The counsel added that the police had not yet recorded Badal’s statement, which according to them raised doubts about the prosecution’s case. Additional Public Prosecutor Seema Sandhu opposed the bail citing the seriousness of the charges. However, the court acknowledged that the case involved no injuries and that the trial process was likely to be prolonged. It also noted that forensic reports, CCTV footage analysis and other investigative processes were still pending. Granting bail, Additional Sessions Judge Sumit Ghai laid down several conditions, including prohibiting Chaura from influencing witnesses, barring him from leaving the country without permission, and mandating his presence in court for all hearings. The court also said that its observations in the bail order would not influence the final outcome of the trial.
