Jail-break case: Pleas rejected

CHANDIGARH, Aug 11: The applications for interrogating Jagtar Singh Hawara and Jagtar Singh Tara -- former Punjab chief minister Beant Si...

CHANDIGARH, Aug 11: The applications for interrogating Jagtar Singh Hawara and Jagtar Singh Tara — former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s alleged assassins — in the Burail jailbreak conspiracy case, and for issuance of “unending” arrest warrants against US-based “militant” Didar Singh alias “Bunty”, were rejected by UT Judicial Magistrate (Ist Class) A. K. Bishnoi, here today.

Pronouncing the orders in the open court, the magistrate directed the prosecution to place the application for interrogating the two accused before the court concerned. He also ruled out the issuance of “unending” arrest warrants.

Hawara and Tara, currently lodged in the Model Jail Burail, cannot be taken out of the prison premises following a notification by the Administration under Section 268 of the CrPC.

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Seeking permission to interrogate them in jail, the prosecution had yesterday stated that the conspiracy was hatched on their behest.

The “burfi” made up of RDX, handed over to Tara and Hawara in the jail, was obtained by alleged co-conspirator Balwinder Singh from Bunty in Amritsar on the former’s instructions, the application had stated.

Co-accused Jaswant was, meanwhile, sent by Hawara to city lawyer D S Rajput for getting two mobile phones, which were smuggled into the jail in September 1997 and February 1998, it had been added.

Regarding Bunty’s role in the conspiracy, the prosecution had stated that the accused left for the US in March 1998 after supplying PETN to Balwinder Singh. He came to India a month before his departure for planning the conspiracy, it had been added.

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Insisting there was sufficient evidence against him in the jailbreak case, the application had sought “unending” arrest warrants as his “arrest could not be secured within a specific period.”

Today, opposing the plea for joining Tara and Hawara in the investigations, the defence counsel stated that the accused could not be taken out of the jail.

Further, they could not be compelled to become witnesses against themselves.