Pakistani Court Raises Objection to Reopening Bhagat Singh Case

Pakistani Court Raises Objection to Reopening Bhagat Singh Case

VoM News Desk | September 16, 2023 | 05:29 PM IST | Asia, Breaking News, Pakistan News | Follow on Google News

Pakistani Court Raises Objection to Reopening Bhagat Singh Case. Image/NDTV

Objection to Reopening

A Pakistani court has raised objections to a petition seeking the reopening of the case related to the sentencing of Indian independence hero Bhagat Singh in 1931. The petition calls for the setting aside of Singh’s sentencing through a review process and posthumous state awards in his honor. The Lahore High Court (LHC) raised objections to reopening the case and the constitution of a larger bench to hear the petition. The court stated that the petition was not maintainable for the constitution of a larger bench.

Decade-Old Petition

Advocate Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, chairman of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation and one of the petitioners, revealed that the petition, filed by a panel of senior lawyers, has been pending in the LHC for a decade. In 2013, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan referred the matter to the chief justice for the constitution of a larger bench, but the case has remained pending since then.

National Importance

The petition emphasizes the national importance of Bhagat Singh’s legacy and calls for a full bench to consider the case. It argues that Singh fought for the independence of the subcontinent and is respected by people of various faiths, including Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims. The petition also notes that Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, paid tribute to Bhagat Singh during his speeches in the Central Assembly.

Claims of Innocence

The petition contends that Bhagat Singh’s name was not mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) related to the murder of British police officer John P Saunders. The FIR, written in Urdu, was registered against two “unknown gunmen” and did not specifically implicate Bhagat Singh. The petition aims to establish Bhagat Singh’s innocence in the Saunders case, asserting that he was sentenced to death without the opportunity for his lawyers to cross-examine witnesses.

The objections raised by the Lahore High Court mark a development in the ongoing efforts to revisit the legal proceedings related to Bhagat Singh’s case and recognize his contributions to the independence movement.

VoM News Desk

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