LUDHIANA, Punjab (September 3, 2015)—During a court hearing, Manvinder Singh Giaspura stated that he had done nothing wrong by wearing a t-shirt with picture of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. “Bhindranwale is my role model and wearing his t-shirts should not be considered a crime,” he alleged. Giaspura is facing charges under section 153A of Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr. P.C).
A case was filed by the local unit of the Shiv Sena against Giaspura, alleging that the latter was disturbing peace in Punjab by wearing Sant Bhindranwale’s insignia.
Justice Radhika Puri differed the hearing to October 15. It is notable that during the previous court hearing, defense lawyer Jaspal Singh Manjhpur appealed the court to terminate the case due to late submission of FIR by the prosecution.
Manvinder Singh Giaspura is president of the Hondh Chillad Sangharsh Committee which is looking after the legal procedures in the case of Sikh massacre that took place in Haryana during 1984.
Giaspura told the court that the Punjab government has maintained double standards of law in the state. He maintained that when non-Sikhs committed sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in 2011 in Ludhiana, the Punjab government ordered the administration to remove section 153A from the case, but now the same government has implemented 153A on him for just distributing t-shirts with the picture of Sant Bhindranwale.
If Giaspura wins this case, Sikhs will be allowed to wear Sant Bhindranwale’s t-shirts openly in Punjab. Shiv Sena might challenge the case in higher court however.