Kotkapura Firing Case: Sukhbir Badal Appears Before Chandigarh District Court

September 3, 2026

Chandigarh: Former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before the Chandigarh District Court on Thursday in the nearly 11-year-old Kotkapura firing case.

The case was transferred to Chandigarh following an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Badal had recently travelled abroad after obtaining permission from the court and appeared before it after returning to mark his presence. His lawyer Rajesh Kumar Rai was also present during the proceedings.

What Happened in the Kotkapura Firing Case

On October 14, 2015, protests were held in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan in Faridkot district following the Bargari sacrilege incident. Police had opened fire on the protesters during the demonstrations.

Two protesters, Gurjit Singh of Sarawan village and Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Niamianwala village, were killed in the firing at Behbal Kalan, while several others were injured in Kotkapura.

The court has fixed October 17, 2026, as the next date of hearing.

Proceedings against former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were closed following his death. The court is now hearing matters related to the remaining accused and pending applications in the case.

Court Seeks Response on Saini’s Video Conferencing Plea

During the previous hearing on August 1, Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini had appeared before the court through video conferencing.

Saini had separately moved an application seeking permission to appear through video conferencing. A copy of the application was also provided to the prosecution.

The court had directed the Punjab government’s counsel to file its response to Saini’s plea. The matter remained pending during the previous hearing.

Umranangal, Sharma Granted Exemption on Health Grounds

During the August 1 hearing, senior Punjab Police officer Paramraj Singh Umranangal had sought exemption from personal appearance citing health issues. A medical slip was attached to his application, and the original document was also produced before the court.

After examining the medical documents, the court granted Umranangal exemption from personal appearance for that day.

Charanjit Singh Sharma had also sought exemption from personal appearance on health grounds. His application was accompanied by a photocopy of a prescription from a private hospital.

The court granted Sharma exemption for that hearing but directed him to submit proper medical documentation on the next date.

Status Report Submitted in Sealed Cover

During the August 1 proceedings, Inspector Aman Baidwan, SHO of Phase-11 police station in SAS Nagar, Mohali, also appeared before the court.

After recording his statement, Baidwan submitted a status report related to the case in a sealed cover.

Additional Public Prosecutor Harbhajan Kaur, appearing for the government, requested the court to keep the report secured in a sealed cover after examining it.

The court opened and examined the report and subsequently ordered that it be sealed again and kept in safe custody.