Will try to set up special courts to settle POs cases, Amarinder Singh to NRIs

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday assured Punjabi diaspora settled abroad that he would take up the issue of setting up special courts to quickly settle cases of NRIs, who had been declared proclaimed offenders (POs) after fleeing Punjab when terrorism was at its peak with the Chief Justice of the High Court as well as the Central government.

Chief Minister Singh was responding to a request from a group of NRIs who had arrived for the 550th Parkash Purab celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

NRIs had expressed the concern that many who had immigrated abroad were unable to visit Punjab and pay their respects at the holy places as they had been declared POs on account of their inability to appear before the courts in certain cases.

The Chief Minister honoured the NRIs with books on the life and philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev, a commemorative coin and a memento.

He said that he would discuss with the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court the possibility of setting up a special court to resolve these cases speedily.

He further said that he would take up with the Government of India the possibility of setting up such special courts in a few Indian missions abroad, such as the UK, USA, Canada, Germany and France, where a large number of Punjabi population reside.