New York/USA (January 05, 2013): A US Federal Judge in Wisconsin has set an evidentiary hearing for January 29 in the human rights violations case against Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of the State of Punjab.
The hearing has been granted by Judge Rudolph T. Randa pursuant to Plaintiff’s December 14 motion to solve the basic jurisdictional issues and to seek court’s protection against the intimidation, threats and abuse to the families of the plaintiffs in India by the agents of Badal.
Michael Best, a law firm representing CM Badal have sought dismissal of the human rights violation case due to lack of service based on the sworn statements of Special Agents from Diplomatic Security Service of US Department of State claiming that Badal was not present at Oak Creek High School on August 09 as claimed in the plaintiffs’ affidavit of service.
During evidentiary hearing, plaintiffs will challenge CM Badal’s claim that on August 9, he was at Boelter Super Store in Milwaukee and was not present at Oak Creek High School where a ceremony was being held in the memory of the Sikh victims of Wisconsin Gurudwara shooting. To refute Badal’s claim, plaintiffs will present to the Federal court evidence and witnesses to prove that on August 09, CM Badal was personally served by Christopher G. Kratochvil, a professional process server from “State Processing Service Inc.” at Oak Creek High School, Wisconsin.
Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) have retained the “Pavich Law Group” which also represents victims of Jewish Holocaust in an ongoing case before US Supreme Court. According to attorney Robert Pavich “hearing in Badal’s case is important not only because we want to get to the merits of our case as soon as possible, but also because we have been advised by our clients that they and their families continue to be intimated, threatened and abused in India by agents of the Defendant”.
According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), “Judge Randa’s order to hear the victims of torture is a major step forward in seeking compensatory and punitive damages against CM Badal for his role in commanding and protecting a police force involved in continuous human rights violations against Sikhs in the State of Punjab”
CM Badal is facing the lawsuit in the US Federal Court filed under Alien Torts Claims Act and Torture Victims Protection Act on the charges of custodial torture and shielding the Police officers responsible for torture, extra judicial killings and continuous human rights violations against the Sikh community in Punjab. The plaintiffs in the case are Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), SAD (Amritsar) headed by Simranjit Singh Mann and several individuals who were tortured during the Badal regime.