Mohali: A special court in Mohali has acquitted singer Gurinderpal Singh alias Wadda Garewal, a resident of Kamomajra Kalan in Sangrur, in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The court granted him the benefit of doubt after finding serious shortcomings in the evidence presented by the prosecution and inconsistencies in the statements of its witnesses.
The case was registered by Sohana police, which had alleged recovery of opium from Gurinderpal Singh. However, the prosecution’s case reportedly weakened during the court proceedings.
Gurinderpal Singh was known to be close to singer Elly Mangat (Harkirat Singh Mangat). According to his statement before the court, a case had been registered against Mangat on September 10, 2019, following a complaint by the Randhawa brothers.
Gurinderpal had subsequently uploaded several videos on YouTube in support of Mangat. Police had allegedly believed that these videos and his public support for the singer contributed to a large crowd gathering outside Poorab Premium Apartments.
According to Gurinderpal’s defence, this led to hostility between him and Sohana police officials. He alleged that the police, due to this alleged animosity, falsely implicated him by showing a recovery of opium.
The court, however, acquitted him after considering the weaknesses in the prosecution evidence and extending the benefit of doubt to the accused.
