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Gurmeet Pinky was secretly released on May 24; Badal Govt. defends it’s decision

August 20, 2014 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Chandigarh/ Punjab (August 20, 2014): Infamous police cat-turned cop Gurmeet Pinky, who was at the rank of inspector at the time of his conviction to imprisonment for life by a trial court in a murder case on 17 October 2006, was secretly released by Punjab police on May 24, 2014.

Gurmeet Pinky was prematurely released just after serving 7 years and 7 months in prison. He remained on parole and furlough for more than 173 days.

Surprisingly, the government maintained secrecy over premature release of Gurmeet Pinky and his release did not come into light until recently.

Gurmeet Pinky is believed to be responsible for grave human rights violation in Punjab, including custodial torture on women. According to a Sikh body, Dal Khalsa, Gurmeet Pinky has always remained the darling of the police higher-ups including present DGP Sumedh Singh Saini.

Gurmeet Pinky had killed Avtar Singh alias Gola, the only son of an elderly Ludhaina Sikh couple on 7 January 2001. Trial in this case was shifted to a court in Yamunanagar (Haryana). The trial court had found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to undergo imprisonment for life. He was lodged in a jail in Nabha (Punjab).

The secret of Gurmeet Pinky’s release was unveiled in response to an application under Right to Information Act. The application was moved by victim Avtar Singh @ Gola’s father S. Amrik Singh.

According to a detailed news-story reported by Journalist Neel Bhalinder Singh from Chandigarh in Daily Ajit (a Punjabi vernacular) the information officer of Open Jail of Nabha, in his response to RTI (Number 2149, 18/7/14), revealed that as per order (Number 1/89/14-2G7) of Punjab Government under Article 161 of Indian Constitution Gurmeet Pinky was released on 17 May 2014.

He actually served just 7 years, 7 months and 14 days in prison. Whereas after counting “remissions” granted to Gurmeet Pinky, he (supposedly) served 15 years, 7 months and 14 days in jail. Even then he was yet to serve 4 years, 4 months and 16 days in prison, but the Badal government passed the controversial order to grant him premature release.

Whereas the victim family and the Sikh organizations have been criticizing the Badal government it’s decision to release Gurmeet Pinky, the Punjab government has come forwarded in full defence of it’s decision to release the former police cat-turned cop.

In a statement, Punjab government’s spokesperson went on to make conflicting arguments while defending Badal government’s decision to release Gurmeet Pinky.

The Govt. spokesperson reportedly said that Gurmeet Pinky has served more than 15 years, including remissions, in prison. He further said that Gurmeet Pinky has actually spent more than 9 years in prison. He referred to new policy (April 2014) about premature release of life term convicts which says that after serving 10 years (actual) in prison, a life term convict can apply for premature release.

According to Punjab government’s spokesperson, the village panchayat, District police head and Deputy Commissioner had forwarded Gurmeet Pinky’s application with recommendation of his release on 8 November 2013. On 17 April 2014 ADGP (Prisons) forwarded Gurmeet Pinky’s application to the government with recommendations for his release. After this on April 17, 2014 the government passed order for his release and he was finally released on 24 April 2014.

Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjhpur who had compiled the list of 119 Sikh political prisoners languishing in Indian jails, including life term convicts who have over-served their legal sentence, says: Gurmeet Pinky’s release has once again brought the dual standards of law into light. On the one hand Sikh political prisoners are languishing in Jails after serving more than 18 or 20 (actual) years in Indian prisons and the government is not willing to release them, but on the other hand human rights abusers life Gurmeet Pinky are being released after serving less than 8 years in prison.

Senior lawyer, Advocate R S Bains has opined that the Punjab government has violated it’s own policy while granting premature release to Gurmeet Pinky.

Meanwhile, the victim’s parents, Charanjeet Kaur and Amrik Singh, said that they would knock the doors of higher courts against Punjab government’s decision to release the killer of their only son.

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Related Topics: Advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains, Gurmeet Pinky, Human Rights, Jaspal Singh Manjhpur (Advocate), Punjab Government, Punjabi Police, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)

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