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Sikh Political prisoner, Devinderpal Singh Bhullar was on Monday acquitted in a 1992 Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) case registered against him at the Batala Sadar police station. Charges under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Explosives Act were also slapped on Bhullar in the case that pertains to an encounter after a police party was ambushed by a group of militants. The designated TADA court of Surinder Singh which heard the case, dismissed the chargesheet filed by the Batala police and discharged Bhullar for want of evidence. The court accepted the plea of Bhullar’s counsel that there was no direct evidence to suggest his client’s involvement and neither were there any witnesses in the case. The chargesheet was filed by police in February and the former militant was granted bail by the TADA court in March in the case. The verdict by the designated TADA court will pave the way for Bhullar to apply for parole that was denied to him as he had not been acquitted in the Batala case. Bhullar can now move an application before the government seeking parole. He has remained behind bars since his deportation to India in 1995 followed by his arrest in a blast case. Bhullar had already sought parole after he was granted bail in the case on March 3 on surety bond of Rs 50,000. Bhavandeep Singh Sidhu of the United Akali Dal and Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa Sangharsh Committee welcomed the verdict by the court. “We expect Prof. Bhullar to be released from jail within a few days now,” he said. “This will allow Prof. Bhullar to apply for parole, however we hope that the 1993 case against him by Maninderjeet Bittu does not cause hurdles,” he added. Despite his acquittal in the TADA case, Bhullar will continue to remain under detention for his involvement in the September 1993 blast outside the headquarters of the All India Youth Congress (AIYC) in New Delhi, resulting in death of eight persons. He was sentenced to death by a Delhi court in the case. His plea for parole will be considered after he moves an application seeking the same. Though the Supreme Court had upheld his death penalty but later it was commuted to life term on medical grounds. Bhullar is currently undergoing treatment at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here. He was not present in the TADA court that heard his bail application. He was admitted to the psychiatry ward of the hospital on June 12 last year after he was transferred on medical grounds from a hospital in New Delhi. He had complained of depression and other psychological problems. He was under detention at the Tihar Jail and was subsequently shifted to a hospital on the directions of the Supreme Court which took note of his mental condition Full News: http://singhstation.net/2016/04/prof-bhullar-acquitted-in-1992-tada-case/