UPDATE: HEARING DENIED BY SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

In December, the Supreme Court of India rejected a petition to review its own decision.

A new petition was placed by Ram Jethmalani, the new lawyer for Davinderpal Singh Bhuller. This argued for a hearing before an extended bench but again a hearing has been denied by the Supreme Court of India.

While he was waiting for the death sentence, Mr Bhullar was convicted of other charges by the Punjab Police. However on the 1 December 2006 in the Chandigarh and Haryana High Court the judge acquitted Mr Bhullar on the basis of lack of evidence. Sh R.S. Baswana Addional Sessions Judge held that their was no evidence on file to link the accused with the other alleged crimes and despite the fact that the prosecution had 15 years to gather evidence against Mr Bhullar, they were unable to produce evidence linking Mr Bhullar to the case against him.

Below is an update of the recent campaign work undertaken by SHRG:

Canada

The Sikh Human Rights Group (UK), along with Mrs. Navneet Kaur Bhuller, the wife of Davinderpal Singh, who is a Canadian citizen, recently met with a number of Canadian Parliamentarians in Canada, including the Canadian Prime Minister as well as the Foreign Affairs Minister and Secretary of State for Asia Pacific and many MP’s.

A number of Canadian MP’s made representations to Bill Graham P.C., Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of India, the High Commissioner for Canada, New Delhi and the High Commissioner of India, Ottawa.

The Davinderpal Singh case was raised in the House of Commons Debate in Canada on the 30th January 2003 by M.P Svend Robinson and Hon. David Kilgour (Secretary of State (Asia Pacific)), who stated “We are taking this matter very seriously…We will do our best to do what is proper for Mrs. Bhuller who is a Canadian citizen.”

MP Svend Robinson on the 3rd February 2003 has asked the House of Commons Canada “That this House call upon the government to urge the government of India to commute the death sentence imposed by a majority vote of the Supreme Court of India on Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhuller after the illegal rejection of Bhuller’s asylum request in Germany and urge that he be given a fair and open trial in accordance with international judicial norms.”

United States

Following the Canadian trip we visited America where we met with the State Department human rights section and India desk at the political division. They asked us to co-ordinate meetings between American Sikhs and their local congress members. We also met with the Congressional Human Rights Caucus who are looking into the case and will be writing to the Indian President. We also met with Human Rights Watch together with Voices for Freedom. (they are also campaigning for Mr Bhuller)

Germany

We met with the German government as well. The German governmet, together with the United Kingdom government have introduced a Demarche, a European wide stand against the death penalty specifically in relation to the Bhuller case. They have also made a number of representations to the Indian government.

The Chairwomen of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid has made representations to the President of India, whilst declaring, “the German authority carrying out the deportation had committed grave procedural errors.”

The German government has been expressing its concern since the death penalty was first given by the TADA court in India. The German Embassy has been sending representatives to all the court hearings since. SHRG had alerted the Germans in 2001 to this sentence and has maintained contact with the government, persuading it to take more active position.

United Kingdom

We then met with the Foreign Office in the United Kingdom. The Foreign Office was also informed of Mr Bhuller’s death penalty in 2001. It has been assisting the German government in Europe and raised the issue with India.

The Foreign Office met with Mrs Bhuller and assured her of its concerns as well as its support. It has been influential in Europe with the Germans to ask for a Demarche.

We have also met with a number of MPs in England and MEP’s. The Parliamentary Punjab party has been active. Lobbied by many other groups in the United Kingdom, it has been persuading MP’s to sign an early day motion. John McDonnell, MP has agreed to organise MP’s to attend the Wednesday leafleting in front of the Indian High Commission.

Europe

Mrs Bhuller also met with European Union human rights division. She met with Baroness Ludford in London. Baroness Ludford has written to the European Parliament president, the Indian president and the United Nations among others. She is also assisting with lobbying other European Parliamentarians.

UN
The major departments concerned with issues relating to this case have all been kept informed. Major Non Government organizations within the UN system have also been lobbied.

This is by no means the comprehensive work done by SHRG for Bhuller. A great deal of lobbying occurs with parties who can influence the Indian government and international institutions to take a position on this.

There are many efforts being made by several other organizations too. Links will be put on this site. People and organizations in Punjab have come together on the Bhuller case. Links to the main news stories relating to that will appear here in the near future.

Jaswant Kaur