Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jun, 2022 09:57 AM
New Delhi, June 3 (IANS) A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court by BJP Punjab leader Jagjit Singh seeking CBI investigation in the cold-blooded murder of famous Punjabi rap singer Sidhu Moosewala.
The plea, filed through advocate-on-record Namit Saxena and advocates Sarthak Chaturvedi and Shubham Jaiswal, submitted that there is a storm of fear and terror in Punjab, which warrants interference by the Supreme Court as fundamental rights of entire population of Punjab have been jeopardised at large.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known by his stage name 'Sidhu Moosewala', was shot dead in broad daylight on May 29 by unknown assailants. The plea said he was a young artist of just 28 years of age, who became globally famous by performing a niche art of Punjabi rap.
"The brutal murder of Sidhu Moosewala is a glaring example where the conscience of the community at large has been shocked and people of Punjab are confident that no effective investigation will be done by the state, rather it will try to cover up its failure by removing the security cover and the incident deserves to be investigated by a central agency," said the plea.
The plea said on the next day of the murder, names of gangsters such as Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar started coming into play when they took the responsibility of killing the deceased. "That also the present facts of the case involve not only inter-state but also international crime syndicates and it is expedient in the interests of justice if the investigation related to the present FIR is transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation," added the plea.
The petitioner contended it is also important to bear in mind that it is not arcane knowledge that Punjab is ridden with the menace of drugs and gun culture. "The state has unfortunately not ridden itself from the movement of separatists seeking establishment of Khalistan and therefore possibility of involvement of separatists in the murder also cannot be ruled out. The matter at hand deserves investigation by a central agency such as the CBI," it added.
The plea argued that the CBI being a central agency, has a far more reach and jurisdiction than the state authorities and the same would also help the state authorities, the justice they seek.
The plea said the way the cold blooded killing was done in broad daylight is indicative of the fact that the state machinery in Punjab has miserably failed in its duty not only to prevent the crime but also to effectively curb the menace of gangwars.
Singh had contested from Sardurgarh seat on a BJP ticket in the recently-conducted Punjab polls.
Apprising Mann about the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA), O'Farrell said it is the India's first bilateral trade agreement with a large, developed economy in 10 years, which aims to double two-way trade.
Addressing the media here, Badal appealed to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President to take the lead and call a meeting of Panthic organisations to devise a joint strategy to fulfill the demand of Punjabis worldwide to free the Sikh prisoners on humanitarian grounds.
The Divisional Commissioner on Tuesday suspended Internet services in the entire Jodhpur district (including Jodhpur Commissionerate) with an aim to maintain peace and cordial atmosphere and curb rumours.
Ahead of Eid, police had got information that anti-social elements could disrupt peace and harmony across Delhi and in a bid to thwart their nefarious plans, a number of such companies were deployed at various locations.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said the closure of mandis in the state will be done in a phased manner from May 5. The notification in this regard would be issued by the Mandi Board.
