Chandigarh, November 21
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision to grant interim bail to party IT Wing Head Nashattar Singh Gill, while terming the latter’s arrest as unjustified and illegal, was a slap on the face of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had misused the police to file false cases against Akali leaders and workers.
Addressing a press conference here, party legal cell head Arshdeep Singh Kler said the Punjab Police had also been exposed in court. “Even though Nashattar Gill was arrested at 3.45 pm on November 15 even though the FIR in the case was registered at 6.30 pm on the same day, the State government claimed in the court that the arrest had been made at 6 pm. Even this contention did not help the AAP government prove its point as it could not explain why the IT wing head was arrested before registration of the FIR in the case”.
Kler said a false case was registered against Nashattar Gill. “The case pertains to an incident during campaigning in Tarn Taran during the course of which two police personnel were found to be following the SAD candidate’s daughter Kanchanpreet Kaur using fake number plates on their vehicle”. He said the EC had also rapped the Punjab Police for doing this and had suspended SSP Dr Ravjot Kaur Grewal in connection with this case as well as other cases relating to registration of false cases and illegal detention of Akali workers.
Asserting that the SAD would take up all false cases registered by the AAP government to their logical conclusion, Kler said “The high court has also granted anticipatory bail to Kanchanpreet Kaur, the daughter of the SAD candidate. This proves that the police intimidated and illegally detained Akali leaders and workers by registering false cases against them to win the Tarn Taran by-poll”.
Stating the events which had unfolded in the high court also put the Punjab Police in the dock, Kler said “officers should also realise they will be answerable in court in case they indulge in illegal acts at the instance of the AAP government”. He also highlighted how even Supreme Court guidelines had also been violated while arresting Nashattar Gill. He said the apex court had given clear directions that advance notice should be given before making any arrest in any offence whose jail term was less than seven years. “The police also did not disclose the grounds of arrest which is mandatory as per the Supreme Court”, he added.
Meanwhile, SAD has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) that in light of today’s order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on illegal arrest of SAD IT Wing head Nashattar Singh Gill, it should direct action against guilty police officials, the state government and ruling AAP for blatantly misusing police force during Tarn Taran bye poll. In a rejoinder to ECI, SAD Senior Vice President and Former Education Minister Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said that today High Court has given its interim orders in CR WP No 12396-2025 dated 21.11.25 in which court has held the arrest of IT Wing President of SAD Nashattar Singh Gill as illegal and ordered his immediate release. Dr. Cheema said that this order has vindicated their stand that arrest of SAD leaders and workers was illegal and was done purely on political vendetta by police on direction of AAP government. He urged the ECI to direct taking strict action against all responsible police officers, the state government and Aam Admi Party (AAP) for blatant misuse of power
