On Thursday, a Patiala court rejected singer Daler Mehndi‘s appeal against his two-year prison sentence in a human trafficking case filed against him in 2003. Mehndi, who was present in court, was arrested. 

Daler Mehndi and his now deceased brother Shamsher Singh were charged with illegally sending people abroad disguised as members of his troupe in exchange money. According to TOI, he charged 30 lakhs for sending people into a foreign land, mainly the USA and Canada.

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Following a FIR at the Sadar Patiala police station in 2003, Mehndi was convicted under sections 406, 420, 120B, 465, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Indian Passport Act.

In 2018, the Judicial Magistrate First Class court found both brothers guilty and sentenced them to two years in prison. They were granted bail and later filed an appeal in the sessions court.

Today, Additional Sessions Judge HS Grewal dismissed his bail application, and he was taken into custody.

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According to the FIR filed in 2003 at Sadar police station, the Mehndi brothers took two troupes in 1998 and 1999, during which 10 people were taken to the US as group members and illegally dropped off.

Police had previously filed two petitions with the court, claiming that Daler was not needed in the case because he had nothing to do with the immigration fraud known as ‘kabootarbaazi,’ which refers to a large number of Punjabi youth attempting to settle abroad illegally.

Daler allegedly dropped off three girls in San Francisco while travelling with Karisma Kapoor and the latter’s mother, Babita. Priya, Meenu Behn, and Nimu, all from Gujarat, were identified as the girls, according to Tribune India. 

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On September 19, 2003, the Patiala police registered a case against Daler and Shamsher based on a complaint filed by one Bakshish Singh; 35 additional complaints were filed, charging the brothers with fraud.

The Patiala police put up discharge petitions in 2006, claiming Daler Mehndi was blameless, but the court upheld the prosecution because there was sufficient evidence against him on the judicial file and scope for further investigation.