LAHORE, Jan 11: A civil court on Thursday extended for a day physical custody to police of former Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chairman Mastan Singh on charges of Rs500,000 embezzlement.

Counsel for the accused submitted before the court that the case against his client had been fabricated on behalf of some officials of the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB). He alleged that complainant Ravail Singh had a personal grudge against the accused.

He said his client as chairman of the committee had appealed to Sikh community worldwide for donations to earthquake victims. He added a joint account of the committee and the EPTB was opened.

He said the money was distributed among the earthquake victims under the supervision of the EPTB. He accused the EPTB of committing illegalities during the distribution of the money.

The counsel said the embezzlement case was registered against the accused when he pointed out the illegalities.

The EPTB, he said, had then forced him to resign from the office.

According to the FIR lodged against Mastan Singh, he had misappropriated Rs500,000 from the committee funds.

Counsel for the complainant said the Punjab government, on the recommendations of the committee, had registered the case against the accused. He also produced some documents before the court, claiming them to be proof of the embezzlement.

Later, some supporters of the accused attempted to manhandle Pakistan Sikh Gurdawara Parbandhak Committee president Sardar Bishan Singh in a bid to make him withdraw the case. Security officials on the court premises intervened to bring the situation under control.

Mastan’s supporters also staged a protest outside the Lahore Press Club.

Later, Bishan Singh told a press conference that he had tried his best to resolve the issue amicably by asking Mastan Singh to return the embezzled amount.

He said he had no personal enmity against the accused. He said that the case could be withdrawn in case the accused deposited the amount with the committee’s office.