Finally, Bains brothers, supporters granted bail
Wednesday, 29/04/2015
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LUDHIANA: The court of additional sessions judge on Tuesday granted bail to the Bains brothers — independent legislators Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjit Singh Bains — and their 28 supporters. They were arrested on the charges of attempt to murder, loot, sand mining and obstructing public servants from performing their duty on April 17.
Simarjit Bains (right) with his brother Balwinder Singh.
The police also accepted the bail bonds of Balwinder and others in a case filed against them under Sections 107 (apprehension of breach of peace and tranquillity of an area) and 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognisable offences) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High court. The MLA brothers and their supporters, who have been lodged in separate jails, will be released on Wednesday.
The Bains brothers and their supporters were arrested on April 17 when they started a “satyagraha” (agitation) against the sand mafia in the state at Chuharwal village on the banks of the Sutlej.
Bains brothers’ counsel Jagmohan Singh Warriach pleaded before the court that the case was politically motivated and the sub-inspector who lodged an attempt to murder case against the MLAs was not present on the spot. There was no mention of an attack on police officials when the case was registered. Charges of attempt to murder and loot were slapped after the first information report (FIR) was lodged, he added.
The police had earlier refused to accept Balwinder’s bail bonds in a case registered against him under Sections 107 and 151 of CrPC, following which a writ petition was filed in the high court. On Monday, the high court directed the police to accept the bail bonds.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Bains brothers burnt an effigy of the state government in the Shimlapuri area on Tuesday.
