The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday transferred to Chandigarh two FIRs registered at a police station in Kotkapura, including a sacrilege-related case registered for an attempt to murder and other offences against former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and others.The matters were pending before Faridkot Additional Sessions Judge Court. Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya passed the order on petitions filed by Moga’s former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma and then Inspector-General of police, Ludhiana range, Paramraj Singh Umranangal.The orders came just about two years after trial of a murder case registered at Bajakhana police station in Faridkot was transferred to Chandigarh. The case with Bajakhana police station was registered after two persons were killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan during a protest against the incidents of sacrilege in the State.One of the FIRs in the matter was registered on August 7, 2018, at city police station in Kotkapura in Faridkot district. The petitioners, through advocates Sangram Singh Saron and M B Rajwade, had contended that the High Court had already transferred the connected case to Chandigarh on May 31, 2024. The trial court had made a reference regarding the transfer of the pending trial, which remained undecided.The High Court, while hearing the matter last year, had asserted a free and fair trial was integral to Article 21 of the Constitution, forming the cornerstone of criminal jurisprudence. Ensuring fairness in trial proceedings required a process untainted by bias, whether for or against the accused or the victim.The Bench was told that incidents of sacrilege and desecration of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib were reported in Faridkot between June to October 2015. There was large-scale public outrage, protests and incidents of violence reported across Faridkot district due to incidents of sacrilege. In order to control the situation and to ensure that the protestors do not resort to large scale arson.In view of the simmering tempers of the protestors, after following due procedure the police authorities were compelled to resort to measures to restore peace and from preventing any untoward incident from taking place. As a consequence of the incidents of sacrilege and the protests, which erupted thereafter, various first information reports were registered.