Karnal, September 12
Additional district and sessions judge of Karnal Ravi Sondhi today convicted Baksheesh Singh, main accused in the blast on the convoy of Dera Sacha Sauda chief on February 2 , 2008, and two other accused Swaran Singh and Mahinder Singh and sentenced them to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The court also convicted four other accused and sentenced them to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 each to all seven convicts.
Baksheesh Singh of Yameenwala, Patiala, Swaran Singh of Mansa, Patiala, and Mahinder Singh of Assandh, were convicted under Sections 307 and 120 B of the IPC and Sections 3 A and 6 of the Explosive Act.
Four others– Hoshiyar Singh of Mansa, Patiala, Jaswant Singh of Peeplatha, Jind, Gurvinder Singh of Patiala and Dharmender of Uttar Pradesh — were convicted under Sections 307 and 120 B of the IPC and Sections 4 A and 6 of Explosive Act and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000.
The lone female accused, Parveen Kaur, was acquitted in the case.
Advocate for the accused Narender Singh Chima said he would challenge the judgement in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The trial in the case lasted over four years during which 73 witnesses were examined.
The convoy of the head of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was “targeted with a powerful blast” on the GT Road on February 2, 2008 and it was suspected that RDX might have been used for the “high-powered blast”. Two vehicles in the cavalcade were damaged, but the dera chief escaped unscathed.
Following the attack, dera followers staged a massive sit-in at the blast site and blocked the GT Road.
The state executive member of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Sabha, Angrej Singh, said the sabha would challenge the conviction in the Punjab and Haryana high Court as the punishment was too harsh and the accused had already undergone 55 months of imprisonment.
A large number of Sikhs were present in the court when the sentence was pronounced.
