CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab government not to arrest Congress leader and leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa till the next date of hearing on April 22 in connection with his "50 bombs have reached Punjab" statement. Bajwa has also been asked not to make any public statement with regard to the case.
Bajwa had moved the court seeking the quashing of the FIR registered against him over his statement.
After the hearing, former advocate general of Punjab APS Deol, who is Bajwa's lawyer, said the court directed the state government not to arrest Bajwa till the next date of hearing. "The petition was taken up by the bench of justice Deepak Gupta, which while seeking a response from the Punjab government by April 22 ordered interim protection from arrest to him, till the next date of hearing, We have challenged the FIR and the state has been asked to respond to the plea on the maintainability of the sections. Bajwa has also been asked not to make a public statement with regard to the case," he said, adding that Bajwa cooperated with the police during his questioning.
Bajwa's plea stated, "The petitioner had become an eyesore on account of his consistent stand against the wrong policies as well as deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state of Punjab amid a spate of bomb explosions and lobbying of hand grenades on vital establishments."
It further added that the statement made by the petitioner was based on a report in the media and had been made in good faith without any intent to cause any alarm amongst the community. “The FIR has been registered in order to settle a political score with the petitioner. Political vengeance is writ large in the given case,” the petition claimed.
The Punjab Police has registered a case against Bajwa under Sections 197(1)(d) (false and misleading information that endangers country's sovereignty and unity) and 353(2) (false statements intend to create enmity and hatred or ill will) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was questioned at the Cyber Police Station at Mohali for six hours on Tuesday.
Bajwa had termed his questioning as a sustained interrogation and said his targeting by the AAP-led government was political vendetta.
Bajwa was questioned over his interview to a private television channel in which he had claimed, "I have come to know that 50 bombs have reached Punjab. Of this, 18 have exploded, 32 are yet to go off."
