NEW DELHI: Imtiyaz Rashid Qureshi has come to India from Lahore in Pakistan for a purpose. The ardent follower of Bhagat Singh is right here to have fun the legendary freedom fighter’s 110th delivery anniversary. Nevertheless, his go to is critical additionally as a result of he has filed a petition in Lahore excessive courtroom asking it to re-hear the case of homicide towards the revolutionary that resulted in his hanging.
When Qureshi meets Singh’s household in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, his petition will probably dominate the conversations. He has identified to the courtroom a authorized lacuna that show the revolutionary’s homicide trial was a sham, as was, due to this fact, the loss of life sentence awarded to him.
Based mostly on the FIR filed towards Singh and Shivaram Rajguru for the killing of police officer John P Saunders, the petition notes the authorized ineptness of your entire prison proceedings towards the lads. “The proceedings of the case had been transferred from a particular Justice of the Peace to a three-member tribunal below an ordinance that by no means turned an Act,” defined Dr Nafis Siddiqui, the Indian Supreme Courtroom lawyer who’s helping Qureshi within the case.
In accordance with Siddiqui, the ordinance lapsed earlier than it was given authorized sanctity as an Act, rendering Singh’s loss of life sentencing unlawful. “An unlawful loss of life warrant was issued by the then registrar of Lahore excessive courtroom on the idea of which he was hanged although the registrar was not authorised to take action,” Siddiqui advised TOI. The Indian lawyer plans to go to Pakistan together with his workforce of advocates at any time when the case comes up for listening to.
The first competition that Qureshi and his petition increase is that Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had been by no means given the chance to defend themselves correctly. “The accused remained absent throughout your entire case and went unrepresented by counsels,” the petition mentioned. “Advocates engaged to defend them had been insulted by the Tribunal.”
Not solely does the petition search a bigger bench of greater than two judges to re-hear the case, nevertheless it additionally requests posthumous privileges and reward for the martyred freedom fighter. “The British authorities by means of her Queen ought to tender a written apology to the Union of India and Federation of Pakistan for its blunder in unlawful and judicial homicide,” the petition asserts.
For now, Qureshi needs to have fun the delivery anniversary with Singh’s household for firm. “The blood of freedom fighters runs in my veins,” he claimed. “The case in Lahore can present floor for concord between our two nations.”
