Manmohan Singh's immunity issue looked at in rights case in US

WASHINGTON: A US court has asked the Department of Justice to respond by July 10 on the immunity issue of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a human rights violation case filed by a New York-based Sikh group.

The Department of Justice had recently informed the Washington Federal Court that Singh as the prime minister had immunity in the US.

But the Sikh for Justice (SFJ) group in response claimed that now that Singh is no longer the prime minister of the country, he does not carry immunity.

"Suing human rights violators in the US Courts is not a detrimental to the US Foreign Policy as portrayed by the Department of Justice in 'Suggestion of Immunity', rather it promotes the US agenda of respect for human rights," said attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ.

The court has asked the Department of Justice to respond by July 10 on the immunity issue of Singh, court documents said.

The June 20 order of the Washington Court had granted rights group till August 18 to complete the service of outstanding summons on Singh.

A Washington Court last September had issued summons against Singh, at the time of his Washington trip to meet US President Barack Obama.