SC refuses to hear plea against temporary release of Gurmeet Singh
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a plea of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) against the temporary release of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra had a plea before them challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order.
The bench noted Singh's counsel objection to the maintainability of the PIL before the high court, which it disposed of, on the ground that it was filed against a single person, who was Singh.
"In that view of the matter, we are not inclined to consider the present petition," the bench said.
Singh is serving a 20-year jail term for raping two of his disciples.
The SGPC moved the apex court against a August 2024 order of the high court.
The high court disposed of the SGPC's PIL observing in case an application was filed by Singh for temporary release, the same should be considered by the competent authority without any "arbitrariness or favourtism".
It was alleged that the state of Haryana, while granting temporary release to Singh, was misusing its powers under Section 11 of the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022.
The SGPC counsel alleged authorities granted paroles or furloughs to Singh repeatedly for the maxium period between 2022 and 2024.
Singh's counsel said the PIL filed before the high court in 2023 was only against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
"It is only directed against me (Singh)," his counsel said, indicating a political rivalry.
The top court took note of the high court saying if an application was made by Singh for his temporary release, it would be "considered strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Act of 2022" without "arbitrariness or favoritism or discrimination".
The SGPC's counsel said despite the high court order, Singh was granted parole in January this year.
"Challenge that now and file a contempt petition before the high court that they (authorities) have committed a contempt of the high court's order," the apex court observed.
In 2017, Singh was sentenced to a 20-year imprisonment for allegedly raping two disciples.
On January 3, the apex court agreed to examine the CBI's appeal against the acquittal of Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of Ranjit Singh, a former manager of the sect.
In May last year, the high court acquitted Singh and four others in the murder case, citing "tainted and sketchy" probe in the matter.
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Chamoli hydropower tunnel train collision: 88 injured, magisterial probe ordered
Gopeshwar/Dehradun (PTI): Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, which left 88 people injured.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said that the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday at the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) site inside the tunnel being built by THDC (India).
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
Upon receiving information about the collision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured. He spoke to the DM over the phone and instructed him to ensure that all the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
DM Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar met the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.
Kumar said 109 people were on board the loco train at the time of the accident, most of them labourers. None of the injured was serious, he said.
He said that 88 of them were injured, although none of them are in serious condition. They said that 84 workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four are still hospitalized.
DM Kumar and SP Panwar also inspected the project site and sought detailed information about the incident from the project officials.
They instructed them to strictly implement all necessary safety standards to prevent a recurrence of such an incident in the future.
After inspection, the DM issued orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident caused by the collision of the loco trains.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel. The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
According to officials, rail-like vehicles are used to transport workers, employees, and materials for construction work inside the tunnel.
The project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, will generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines. The project is targeted for completion by next year.
