Singer Daler Mehndi has been sentenced to two years in prison in a human trafficking case in 2003, the complainant's lawyer Gurmeet Singh said, according to a report in ANI. He was originally sentenced in 2018 but was out on bail.
This is a timeline of the case in question, regarding how and why it started:
The 2003 Case: How It Started
The case was filed by a man named Bakshish Singh in September 2003, in Patiala, according to a report by NDTV. He alleged that Daler Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh took two troupes to the US in 1998 and 1999, amognst which were ten people en route for migration illegally.
In the FIR, Singh alleged, that Mehndi and other accused had cheated him of Rs 13 lakh on the pretext of sending him to Canada, as per a report by The Indian Express.
2003: Arrest and Bail
After the FIR the brothers were arrested but got bail within days. Moreover, both were charged under sections of the Indian Passport Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code for human trafficking and conspiracy, as per NDTV.
30 other complaints were also submitted against Mehndi, as per reports.
2006: Local Police Files Petitions
Three years after the FIR was lodged the local police had filed petitions. They claimed that they had found nothing on Mehndi. The court, however, did not discharge him, saying there was enough evidence against him as per NDTV.
2017: Shamsher Singh dies
Co-accused Shamsher Singh, brother to Mehndi, dies in 2017.
2018: Mehndi Gets A Two-Year Jail Term
The court sentenced Mehndi to two years of imprisonment and a ₹2000 fine, according to Hindustan Times. He later filed an appeal.
2022: Court Dismisses His Appeal
His appeal against a two-year jail term was dismissed on Thursday. Following which he was arrested.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)