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Mohali Mayor acquitted in 2010 Baliyali village firing case

The incident dates back to December 18, 2010, when a violent clash broke out in Baliyali village, allegedly triggered by political rivalry and disputes involving members of an extended family aligned with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress, living on the same street.

3 min readMohaliUpdated: Dec 20, 2025 08:29 PM IST

The CBI Court will pronounce the sentence on December 24. (File Photo enhanced using Google Gemini)

In a major development in the 2010 Baliyali village firing case, a CBI court in Mohali on Saturday acquitted Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu and former village sarpanch Kulwant Singh, along with Jatinder Singh, bringing relief to the accused after a prolonged legal battle spanning nearly 14 years.

Advocates Seerat Pal Singh Waraich, Narinderpal Singh Waraich, and Sarabjit Singh said that the court, after examining the evidence, acquitted Mayor Sidhu and Kulwant Singh. However, the court held Dilbar Singh guilty after converting the charge under Section 302 (murder) to Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The lawyers further stated that seven members from the opposite side were also held guilty under Sections 148 and 149 of the IPC and were imposed fines. The CBI Court will pronounce the sentence on December 24.

The incident dates back to December 18, 2010, when a violent clash broke out in Baliyali village near Mohali, allegedly triggered by political rivalry and long-standing family and property disputes. The conflict involved members of an extended family aligned with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress, living on the same street.

According to the prosecution, the clash erupted around 9.30 pm when Jatinder Singh, son of then sarpanch Kulwant Singh, allegedly abused and assaulted Gurpreet Singh and his father while they were parking a vehicle near Kulwant Singh’s house. The violence escalated into firing, resulting in the death of Rattan Singh, a senior SAD activist, who died on the spot due to a gunshot wound to the skull.

Several others, including Kulwinder Kaur, Harjinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Amrik Singh, Gurpreet Singh, and Dilbar Singh, sustained bullet injuries during the incident.

Based on a complaint by Harjinder Singh, son of the deceased, the Balongi police registered an FIR invoking Sections 302, 307, 148, 149, and 120-B of the IPC, along with Sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act. The named accused included Congress MLA and former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, his brother Amarjit Singh Sidhu, Kulwant Singh, Dilbar Singh, and Jatinder Singh.

In 2012, the CBI took over the investigation, probing allegations of conspiracy and political influence. Investigators recovered .12 bore double-barrel rifles and several cartridges, and Dilbar Singh was arrested five days after the incident.

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During the trial, Dilbar Singh claimed self-defence, alleging that the other side attacked first, prompting retaliatory firing.

With the acquittal of the Mayor and former sarpanch, the verdict has brought closure to one of Mohali’s most politically sensitive criminal cases, while all eyes are now on December 24, when the CBI court will announce the final sentence in the remaining conviction.