neverforget2425 | 08 February 2011 | 3 likes, 0 dislikes
Shaminder Singh Shera - Written by GlobalSikhNews on 19. Jan, 2011
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today slapped a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the state of Punjab for illegally detaining a youth for a month and allegedly subjecting him to third-degree torture.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal today slapped the penalty after the abducted youth Shaminder Singh alias Shera was produced by the Punjab Police.
Shaminder burst into tears when the Court inquired about the incident.
Amicus curiae in the case, Advocate Anil Malhotra, stated that Shera's silence manifested the atrocities he has been subjected to.
Taking a strong view of this, the High Court directed the state to award an ad hoc compensation of Rs 1 lakh to kin of the victim.
Talking to media persons outside the court, Shera alleged that the Punjab Police had planned to eliminate him and project his death as a police encounter.
Sensing that he will be eliminated, Shera ran away from police custody. Shera alleged that Punjab Police wanted to implicate him in a case of waging war against the state and indulging in terrorist activities.
Shera alleged that he was given third-degree torture and mercilessly thrashed for several days. "When I refused to admit involvement in any kind of terrorism activities, I heard the Punjab Police officers planning to eliminate me. I then decided to escape and I managed to do so," Shera said.
He added that Punjab Police wanted to associate him with a terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).
The development took place during the resumed hearing of a suo motu notice taken by Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal on a news item appearing in an English daily.
The news item had highlighted the condition of the youth's family. The police had taken the defence that Shera was an accused in three criminal cases and was an absconder.
However, he was produced by Punjab Police and released from custody
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