Sword case 8211; reply filed to application for bail cancellation

CHANDIGARH, Oct 6: Harinder Singh Mander, accused in the Akbar sword case, today filed his reply to the application filed earlier by comp...

CHANDIGARH, Oct 6: Harinder Singh Mander, accused in the Akbar sword case, today filed his reply to the application filed earlier by complainant Iqbal Singh Gill, seeking the court to cancel his bail application along with that of A.K. Srivastava, another accused in the case. Arguments on the application will be held tomorrow.

In his reply filed in the court of UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bedi today, Mander vehemently denied that the applicant was in possession of any sword or scabbord given to his forefathers by Akbar The Great. Mander also requested the court to ask the applicant to prove the existence of the sword. He denied having ever visited the house of the applicant where he was shown the sword and told about its history. He added that it was all imaginative that an agreement worth Rs 2.5 crore was struck between the parties for sale of the said sword.

Mander stated that he had no knowledge about presentation of the draft or about the contention that it was not encashed. quot;The whole story is the creation of the applicant who is trying to blackmail,quot; it was stated. Mander added that he was trying to secure a loan of Rs 130 crore for setting up his software unit in Delhi. He stated that one Sadib Hydri introduced him to the applicant who said he could help him get the loan. It was added that the applicant posed as a member of an international trust named PTE Galaxy Indonesia Trust Fund. He showed certain commendation letters from the Prime Minister to prove his case.

Mander added that after this discussion, the applicant proceeded to London and Zurich. He added it was only later that he came to know that the applicant was not a clean man. So he decided not to enter into any deal with him. He added that it was later that he came to know that he had been implicated in a false case.

Mander also submitted that the Supreme Court, in its authorities, had laid down specific grounds for the dismissal of bail already granted and that the applicant had not mentioned any such grounds in his application. He submitted that the concession of bail was not being misused by him.

Beant case: cross examination of witness continues
The Beant Singh assassination case came up before UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bedi today with witness Tejinder Pal Singh being cross examined for the third consecutive day.

The witness stated it was wrong to suggest that in his statement to the CBI on January 6, 1996, he had said that it was Balwant Singh who had signed as Sanjeev in the register of Hotel President, Nagpur.

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He also said it was wrong to suggest that he had told the CBI that he and accused Balwant Singh both signed in the register of Anandpur Mehal Lodge, Nagpur. Tejinder today stated that he signed in the register alone. The witness stated that in his statement to the CBI, he had not given any house number of Dilawar Singh the alleged human bomb.

He said that he had told them that Dilawar was residing opposite to his house. The witness stated that he had told the CBI about Balwant Singh residing in a rented room in Rattan Nagar, Tripri, Patiala. The witness was confronted on this occasion as in his earlier statement he said he had also mentioned that Balwant was posted in Patiala police.

The witness stated that he was himself residing in 51, Laxmi Nagar, Nagpur. He said he did not remember whether in his statement to the CBI he had talked about introducing Balwant Singh and Dilawar Singh to his friends H.S. Bhullar, Jatinder Pal Singh and Jaskaran Singh. He said he had stated that they visited Panchmarhi and Nader Sahib.

He had not mentioned Rattan Nagar or stated that he had not told the CBI.