US based Human rights group seek default judgment against Big “B” In 1984 Anti-Sikh Violence Case

California : US based human rights group “Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) filed motion for default judgment against Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan for failure to respond within the prescribed time to the Los Angeles Court summons in 1984 anti-Sikh violence case. Attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ informed that “We have asked Hollywood Federal Court to issue a default judgment against Bachchan because he failed to respond within days after receiving summons as prescribed by the Federal Rules”. Notably Los Angeles Federal Court issued summons to Bachchan on October 27, 2014 on the charges of inciting violence after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The summons were served on Bachchan in India on April 10, 2015 through the Hague Service Conventions. Federal Rules provide that if a defendant fails to respond within 21 days after the service of summons, a judgment by default can be entered for the relief demanded in the complaint, said Pannun.
October 28th motion states that “pursuant to Article 5 of the Hague Convention, the proper party to accept service in India is Mrs. Zoya Hadke, Joint Secretary and Legal Adviser , Central Authority, The Ministry of Law and Justice, New Delhi, India.
In 2014, a class action lawsuit against Bachchan was filed by California based Mohender Singh and Delhi based Babu Singh Dukhia under Alien Torts Statute (ATS) and Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA) which gives jurisdiction to US Courts over the human rights violations committed abroad.