SAD demands registration of cases against cabinet minister Randhawa, Justice Ranjit

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday demanded registration of criminal case against Punjab prisons minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Justice Ranjit Singh (retired) for allegedly creating false evidence in the commission of inquiry report on a sensitive religious issue of sacrilege.
In its core committee meeting, the SAD also sought removal of Randhawa as cabinet minister.SAD spokesperson Harcharan Singh Bains said one Himmat Singh had on Monday made a sensational disclosure revealing how he had been misled into signing the alleged manipulated papers amounting to false evidence on the issue of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.
Himmat Singh’s name had figured in Justice Ranjit Singh Commission’s report submitted to Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on June 30. The report mentions that former jathedar of the Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo Gurmukh Singh’s brother— Himmat Singh — had submitted a statement before the commission alleging it was at ex-chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s official residence in September 2015 that pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda head from the Akal Takht was engineered.
Meanwhile, both Randhawa and Justice Singh have denied these allegations stating that Akalis were now trying to save their skin, and that when they were asked to clear their stand before the commission, they did not cooperate. Justice Singh said Himmat was not summoned by the commission and he had himself appeared before the it and submitted his statement in Gurmukhi.
“Himmat’s brother Gurmukh Singh was earlier removed from the Akal Takht. Interestingly, earlier this month he was again appointed the head Granthi of Akal Takht, and thereafter Himmat has now come up with this false statement. Both these brothers have defamed the Sikh qaum,” said Randhawa.
The cabinet minister said Aurangzeb had tried to finish ‘Singhs’ and SAD patriarch Badal had tried to finish ‘Sikhi’. Randhawa said Gurmukh, in his earlier statement available on YouTube, said all Akal Takht jathedars had appeared before then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on the issue of pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda head. “How can they now retract from their earlier statements?” asked the minister.
On the other hand, the SAD spokesperson said, “The judge in his report has also launched a direct attack on Akal Takht Sahib, which the Sikh qaum can never tolerate.”