Pak court issues contempt notice to govt officials for not naming Bhagat Singh's execution site after his name despite court order

Shadman Chowk marks the place where Bhagat Singh was hanged on March 23, 1932. Source: X

In response to a petition seeking contempt proceedings against three high-ranking officials for failing to abide by the court’s order honoring Indian Independence War hero Bhagat Singh, the Punjab provincial government and the district administration received notices from a Pakistani court on Monday.

Regarding the petition submitted by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan, Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza of the Lahore High Court served notices to the city administrator, Deputy Commissioner Rafia Haider, and Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman of Punjab.

Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, the chairman of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, told PTI that “the LHC issued the notices to the respondents for submitting a reply on the contempt petition for their failure to name the Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh by March 26.”

Qureshi said the LHC in 2018 had ordered the government to name Shadman Chowk, the place where Bhagat Singh was hanged in 1931, after the freedom fighter.

“But both the provincial and district governments deliberately did not comply with the LHC’s order, thus committing contempt,” he said.

Bhagat Singh, who fought for the independence of the subcontinent, was hanged by British rulers on March 23, 1931, along with Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar after being tried under charges of hatching a conspiracy against the regime.

Singh was initially jailed for life but later awarded the death sentence in another “fabricated case”.

Bhagat Singh is respected in the subcontinent not only by Sikhs and Hindus but also Muslims.

Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah had reportedly twice paid him tribute during his speech in the central assembly, saying there had never been another brave person in the subcontinent like Bhagat Singh.

Qureshi stated Bhagat Singh was a freedom fighter of the subcontinent and gave his life along with his companions for the cause of freedom.

“It will be in the interest of justice to name Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and also install his statue at the square to inspire the people of Pakistan and the world,” he said and added in neighbouring India, there were many roads and thoroughfares named after Muslim rulers such as Akbar Road, Shahjahan Road and Bahadur Shah Road.

With inputs from Reuters