Sukhbir, Majithia appear before HC for hearing in case filed by ex-judge

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia appeared before the high court here Thursday for hearing in a criminal case filed against them by a former judge for allegedly making false and derogatory statements against him.

The single bench of Justice Amit Rawal ordered the Shiromani Akali Dal leaders to furnish a personal bond of Rs one lakh each, said petitioner Ranjit Singh's counsel APS Deol.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court fixed August 21 as the next date of hearing, Deol said.

Justice (Retd) Singh was appointed by the Congress government in Punjab in 2017 to a single-member panel to probe desecration of religious texts and related police firing incidents, including those that happened under SAB-BJP rule in 2015.

In his complaint filed in February this year, he claimed both Badal and Majithia made "derogatory statements against him" to bring disrepute to him and the commission.

Singh filed the complaint under Section 10-A of The Commissions of Inquiry ...