Identity of kin of Indira Gandhi’s assassin revealed

The identity of the nephew of one of Indira Gandhi’s assassins, convicted in a drug case, was revealed after he lost a bid in a New Zealand court to keep his name secret, a local media report said.

Baltej Singh, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for importing over 700kg of methamphetamine, the largest amount ever seized by New Zealand authorities, was fighting for permanent name suppression, New Zealand’s Stuff web portal reported on Saturday.

Earlier, Singh, nephew of Satwant Singh, one of the bodyguards who assassinated then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, was granted permanent name suppression by the High Court after arguing that he and his family would face extreme hardship if his identity was revealed.

The New Zealand authorities appealed against the ruling, and last November, the Court of Appeal ruled that Singh could be named, it said.

Singh, a former Auckland businessman, sought leave to take the fight to the Supreme Court, but he has now abandoned that appeal, clearing the way for New Zealand media to reveal his identity, the report said.

Stuff also opposed the bid to suppress Singh’s identity, it said.

The prosecution had earlier argued in court that Indian media had already disclosed Singh’s identity.

In an affidavit to the court, Baltej Singh’s father had argued that his family had “become notorious” among Sikhs and Hindus worldwide and were subject to constant violence, threats and intimidation, the report said.

Delhi witnessed large-scale violence and killings of persons from the Sikh community following Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her bodyguards in 1984.