Chandigarh, Punjab (July 02, 2013): It is learnt that fearing the consequences of human rights lawsuit in United States, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has decided to cancel his tour to the United States.
According to a news reported by a private TV channel, ‘Day and Night News’, Badal’s visit has been cancelled because the US court had reportedly issued summons against Parkash Singh Badal in a lawsuit filed by a human rights body – ‘Sikhs for Justice‘ (SFJ).
Parkash Singh Badal’s visit to US cancelled
It must be noted that SFJ had filed a lawsuit against Badal in US Federal court in Wisconsin in August 2012 when Badal was visiting the US. But during the court process the court had dismissed the lawsuit for lack of proof of service of summons.
As per reports Parkash Singh Badal was scheduled to visit United States of America (USA) in first week of July 2013. The Sikhs for Justice was able to procure summons against Badal from the US court. The NGO had put a scanned copy of summons on it’s Facebook Fans Page and declared a reward of $10,000/- for service of summons on Badal.
In previous lawsuit against Badal, the Sikhs for Justice and various victims of state oppression had maintained that Punjab police committed various human rights violations, including torture in a systematic manner, during Parkash Singh Badal’s tenure as chief minister.
The suit was field under “Torture Victims Protection Act” (TVPA) and “Alien Torts Statute”, a U.S. federal law first adopted in 1789 that gives the federal courts jurisdiction to hear lawsuits filed by non-U.S. citizens for torts committed in violation of international law.
Related Document: Summons by US Federal Court against Parkash Singh Badal (dtd: 26/06/2013)
Download Related Document: Summons by US Federal Court against Parkash Singh Badal (dtd: 26/06/2013)