9 1/2 YEARS LATER, COURT REJECTS BAIL PLEAS IN MISSING SAROOPS CASE

In the case involving 328 missing saroops of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, a local court dismissed anticipatory bail pleas of nine accused on Saturday. The order follows Punjab Police's first FIR, filed December 7—over nine-and-a-half years after the irregularities surfaced—opening the way for custodial questioning.

- TARUNI GANDHI

Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala explaining the issue.

In a significant development in the long-pending case of the disappearance of 328 sacred saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, a local court on Saturday dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of nine accused, signalling that the investigation has begun to gather legal momentum.

District attorney Amritpal Singh Khehra, appearing for the prosecution, confirmed that the court rejected the petitions filed by the accused, clearing the way for custodial questioning if required.

The dismissal of the bail pleas comes days after the Punjab Police registered the first FIR in the case, more than nine and a half years after the irregularities were first detected. A case was registered on December 7 under Sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult a religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. As many as 16 persons, the majority of them ex-employees of the SGPC, were booked by the police on the basis of a complaint registered by the sacked Golden Temple Hazuri Raagi Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala. Bhai Wadala has been doing sit-in protest in Amritsar Heritage Street over this issue.

The case has been registered after Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains visited the dharna site when the FIR was lodged. The accused were the same as indicted by the Akal Takht panel.

On the basis of an inquiry report prepared by a panel led by senior advocate Ishar Singh of the Telangana High Court. The panel had been constituted by the Akal Takht.