In an unprecedented decision, a local court in Nawanshahr in the northern Indian state of Punjab has awarded life term to three Sikh men for conspiracy and “waging war” against the Government of India.
The three accused –Arwinder Singh (29), Surjit Singh (27) and Ranjit Singh (29) were convicted for possessing propaganda material in the form of books, pamphlets and pictures that they reportedly used to incite people and cultivate in them the notion of ‘Khalistan’-a separate Sikh state. No weapons were recovered.
The order by Judge Randhir Verma read, “To achieve their object regarding establishment of Khalistan on Baisakhi, they have kept the aforesaid material with them with the intention of using same for propaganda to incite people to resort to violence with the objective of waging war against the Government of India, to establish an independent state/nation by the name of Khalistan.”
Commenting on the sentencing, Punjab and Haryana High Court lawyer Mohit Garg said that it was indeed a “rare” judgement.
“The sentencing was rare given the fact that it was based on recovery of incriminating literature and not for an act of violence,” Mr Garg told the .
In addition to the life term awarded to them under Section 121 of the Indian Penal Code for waging or attempting to wage a war against the state, the trio was also sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years for conspiracy for such war. Both the sentences will run concurrently.
