Manmohan Singh Immune As PM, Not As FM: U.S. Court

WASHINGTON: Ruling that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enjoys immunity in his capacity as the head of the state, but not as the finance minister, a U.S. court has partially dismissed a human rights violation case against him filed by a U.S.-based Sikh man and a Sikh rights group.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in District of Columbia gave this ruling in an alleged human rights violation case filed by New York-based rights group, "Sikhs for Justice" (SFJ) and an individual, Inderjit Singh.

In their case filed last year, SFJ and Inderjit Singh claimed that as finance minister Manmohan Singh "funded several counter insurgency operations in state of Punjab during the 1990s resulting in more than hundred thousand Sikhs being killed extra-judicially by the security forces".

During his tenure as prime minister, Singh was accused of being complicit in the torture and killing of Sikhs.

Judge Boasberg ruled that U.S. law bars former heads of state from being sued for actions they took while in office, but not for acts or those taken in prior government posts.

"However, while Singh's alleged acts as Finance Minister are not 'private' per se, they did not occur in the course of his official duties as head of state," Boasberg said.

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