A district court in Patiala today denied singer Daler Mehndi’s appeal against a two-year prison sentence in a 2003 case of human trafficking for bringing individuals abroad by portraying them as troupe members, and he was taken into custody.
In the FIR 19 years ago, Daler Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh were charged with accepting money to move individuals abroad against the law through the “troupe” way. In addition to the Indian Passport Act, they were prosecuted under the human trafficking and conspiracy sections of the Indian Penal Code. In 2018, a judicial magistrate’s court sentenced both to two years in prison, but they were later released on bail and filed appeals.
Daler Mehndi’s appeal was denied today by Additional District and Sessions Judge HS Grewal. He was taken to the Patiala jail after both his bail plea and his request to be freed on probation were denied. He can now choose to proceed to the High Court of Punjab and Haryana.
The Mehndi brothers are accused of taking two troupes to the US in 1998 and 1999, during which 10 people were represented as group members to aid in their immigration. The case was filed at the Patiala Sadar police station. According to sources, 35 further complaints were filed against the brothers following this FIR by a man by the name of Bakshish Singh.
The local police filed discharge applications in the local court three years later, claiming Daler Mehndi was actually innocent. The court, however, ruled that there was “sufficient evidence” to warrant additional inquiry and refused to release him. Twelve more years were needed for the sentencing, and four more are needed for the appeal’s decision.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
