Khalistan leader allowed to visit India

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, MAY 29. In a landmark decision, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Union Government to issue necessary travel documents to one of the protagonist of ``Khalistan'', Dr. Jagjit Singh Chauhan, within a month as well as grant permission for him to visit India.

Dr. Chauhan, who has been based in London for more than 20 years now, is the self-styled president of ``the Council of Khalistan'', a government set up in exile.

The order was handed down by a Single-Judge Bench of the Court comprising Mr. Justice V.K. Jhanji, who disposed of the petition filed by Mr. Chauhan through his wife, Ms. Charanjit Kaur.

The Court directed the Government to issue the relevant travel documents to Dr. Chauhan through its High Commission in London. The judgment said that after Dr. Chauhan reaches India, the Central Government could hold an inquiry whether he had acquired the nationality of any other country. In such an eventuality, the Government could deport him to the country where he had become a citizen.

Rejecting the Government's plea, the Court said that Dr. Chauhan's fundamental rights could not be denied solely on the basis of intelligence reports that he was supporting secession. A leading human rights lawyer, Mr. Ranjan Lakhanpal, filed the petition on behalf of Dr. Chauhan in 1996.

Mr. Lakhanpal had pleaded that there was no criminal case pending against the former in any Indian, foreign or international court. He pointed out without any official order Dr. Chauhan had stayed in exile for over 20 years, which was violative of Article 21 of the Constitution.

The judgment gains significance after the recent announcement by the Punjab Chief Minister and Union Home Minister favouring a review of the ``black list'' of Sikhs settled abroad. Recently the media had highlighted the return of another Khalistan protagonist, Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, who was a member of the Panthic Committee and headed the once-dreaded Khalistan Commando Force (KCF).

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