Tarn Taran (Gurpreet Singh): A night-long legal marathon at the Tarn Taran district court culminated in the release of Kanchanpreet Kaur early Sunday, ending a tense standoff between police and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporters who had been demanding her immediate freedom.
The order, issued by Judicial Magistrate Pankaj Verma at around 4 a.m., came as a relief to the Akali Dal, whose workers broke into cheers outside the courthouse. Kanchanpreet, accompanied by senior party leaders including Virsa Singh Valtoha, thanked the court and said she had full faith in the justice system.
Kanchanpreet had been detained by Chabal police on Friday—a move strongly criticised by SAD as an act of political retaliation. She is the daughter of party leader Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa, who recently lost the Tarn Taran Assembly by-election.
The unusually late-night proceedings followed directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which instructed the police to shift her to judicial custody and to ensure her legal team had a fair chance to appear before the district judge. Lawyers were expected to arrive by 8 p.m., but arguments began only around 10 p.m. after the state government filed a fresh application through the advocate-general’s office.
Debate continued until nearly 2 a.m., with the court taking additional time to deliberate before pronouncing its order two hours later.
SAD leaders have repeatedly condemned the arrest, calling it baseless and driven by political animosity. They assert that Sunday’s ruling confirms their claim that Kanchanpreet was wrongfully apprehended.
