* Latest Update - Lal Singh Akalgarh *

[WaljinderSingh]

Following a conversation with Lal Singh's family today, we have been informed that the Supreme Court hearing for his permanent release, which was due to take place today, has once again been postponed. The reason cited was the volume of cases on today's list, were too great to get through.

The inadequacy of India's judicial system is common knowledge. In 2009, the Chief Justice of the New Delhi High Court released a damning report in which he claimed it would take 466 years for the court to clear its backlog and that it had over 600 cases that had been lodged for more than 20 years. Due to this backlog, most of India’s prison population are awaiting trials and the pursuit of justice, which comes at great cost, has only been made more expensive by the chronic delays. As a result, India’s legal system has become the preserve of the country’s wealthy and well connected – a development that exacerbates the discrimination already faced by India’s minority groups.

The next Court date for the hearing has been set for Tuesday 18th March 2014, when we hope and pray that Lal Singh may finally secure his permanent release.

JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED.

Sikh Organisation For Prisoners Welfare (SOPW)