Panchkula court extends Honeypreet’s police custody till October 13

Panchkula: A court in Panchkula on Tuesday, extended the police remand of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's close associate Honeypreet Insaan till October 13.

She was arrested in connection with the violence that followed the sect head's conviction in a rape case.

The Haryana Police had sought the remand of Priyanka Taneja (36), widely known as Honeypreet, who calls herself the adopted daughter of the Dera chief, for nine more days.

Police sought a nine-day remand of Honeypreet, but the court after hearing arguments sent her to three days in police custody, Honeypreet's counsel S K Garg Narwana said after the hearing in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Rohit Vats.

Narwana said he had opposed police remand for Honeypreet.

Police sought Honeypreet's remand on the ground that they wanted to take her to other states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

The court also extended the police remand of another woman, Sukhdeep Kaur, who was arrested along with Honeypreet from the Zirakpur-Patiala road in Punjab on October 3, to three more days, the defence counsel said.

On October 4, the court had sent Honeypreet and Kaur to six days in police custody. Honeypreet and Kaur were produced before the Panchkula court amid tight security on Tuesday.

During the six-day remand, Honeypreet and Kaur were taken to Bathinda by the Haryana Police where she was reportedly hiding before her arrest.

Honeypreet and Kaur were questioned by the Haryana Police in connection with the violence that followed the sect head's conviction on August 25.

Honeypreet was at the top of a list of 43 people "wanted" by the state police in connection with the violence. The Haryana Police had on September 1 issued a look-out notice against Honeypreet and another key aide of the Dera chief, Aditya Insaan, following apprehensions that they might try to "escape from the country".

An arrest warrant was also issued against Honeypreet, and two key Dera functionaries Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan.

Her name has been included in an FIR in which Dera functionaries Aditya Insaan and Surinder Dhiman, among others, were booked on the charge of sedition, inciting violence and arson, the police had said earlier.

Following the conviction of the Dera chief, violence had erupted in Panchkula and Sirsa claiming 41 lives.

The Dera chief has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two female disciples.