3-month jail to KLF chief who escaped Nabha Jail

Khalistani Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Singh Mintoo, who escaped the Nabha jail in Punjab in 2016, has been awarded three-month imprisonment by a Delhi court for assaulting public servants and attempting to fire at police officials to prevent his re-arrest.

Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma sent him to jail for three months, a term he has already undergone, after Mintoo pleaded guilty and sought leniency from the court.

He has been behind bars since November 2016.

The 51-year-old Mintoo had fled the Punjab jail with five other inmates on November 28, 2016 but was nabbed from the Nizammuddin Railway Station here a day later.

The prosecution said when Mintoo found himself surrounded by the police, he took out a pistol and tried to fire at them but was apprehended.

After completion of investigation, a charge sheet was filed against under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC and under the provisions of the Arms Act.

The court, in its order, said the accused was also charge-sheeted for the offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act but because he was already facing trial under UAPA in a court in Patiala, Punjab, he was not charged for the offence.

Mintoo had moved an application pleading guilty of the offences and sought leniency from the court, contending he remained in custody for the last 15 months and was a heart patient.

"Record shows that the convict is in custody since November 28, 2016 and thus he remained in custody for more than 15 months till date. Considering the punishment provided for the offences, considering that the convict is a heart patient, aged 51 and considering that he has been convicted on his pleading guilty, I sentence him to three months imprisonment," the court said.

The court, in a separate order, directed that he be released from jail as he had already spent the period behind bars.

Earlier, the police had told the court that the role of "insiders and outsiders" who assisted Mintoo and five others in escaping the Nabha jail in Patiala had to be ascertained.

It had said the role of Inter-Services Intelligence and some terror organisations was required to be probed in the case as Mintoo had also visited Pakistan.

According to the police, one loaded pistol and six live cartridges were seized from Mintoo. He was earlier a member of Babbar Khalsa International and later floated his own group, it had said.

Mintoo, wanted in 10 terror cases, was arrested by the Punjab Police after he was deported from Thailand in November 2014.