Sikh group in US brings out ad offering $ 20k reward for info about Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: A Sikh human rights advocacy group Sikhs for Justice has given an ad in a New York newspaper offering to give $ 20,000 reward to anyone ready to testify before a court if he or she has seen her in the city between September 2 and September 9, 2013. In its February 7 edition of the newspaper New York, which is sold mostly in Manhattan area, the ad has been published on behalf of Sikhs for Justice offering the reward. The group says, a human rights violation law suit is pending in US Federal court against Sonia Gandhi , in which the serving of summons is in dispute.Because of this, the Sikh rights group has announced a reward of $20,000 for information confirming the presence of the Congress President in the United States during September 2013.. The ad says: “If you saw Sonia Gandhi from Sept 2 – Sept 9 in the US and are willing to testify before a US Judge”, you will get a reward of $20k. The Sikh group said, the public advertisement offering reward was issued because Federal Judge Cogan denied SFJ's request to grant 21 more days to investigate whether Sonia Gandhi visited United States between September 2 and September 9, 2013. However, the Judge granted SFJ till February 8 to file its opposition to Sonia Gandhi's motion to dismiss the human rights violation lawsuit due to insufficient service of summons.According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ, “since Sonia Gandhi's claim of absence from the United States at the time when the rights group served the Congress President is critical and pivotal to maintain this action, a reward of $20k is offered to unveil the mystery surrounding Gandhi's presence in the United States during September 2013”.Referring to the varying positions taken by Sonia Gandhi on the issue service of summons, attorney Pannun said plaintiffs had requested the US Federal Court to ask the Congress President to depose regarding her presence in the United States in September 2013.Pursuant to US Court orders, on September 9, 2013, SFJ served the summons and complaint on the hospital and security staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York where Sonia Gandhi was believed to be undergoing medical treatment.US Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York in September 2013 issued summons against Sonia Gandhi on the complaint filed by SFJ and victims of 1984 anit-Sikh riotws. The victims of 1984, demanding a jury trial, sought compensatory and punitive damages against the Congress President for her role in shielding and protecting Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler, and other Congress party leaders from being prosecuted for their role in the riots.