<p>Away from the usual security drills, the unpleasant sound of hooters, armed men-in-khaki and worn out inmates in cramped barracks, the high-security prison in Punjab’s Nabha woke up to an altogether different backdrop.</p>.<p>One part of the prison was decked up for a matrimonial event pending for a long time and was now about to happen. It was the marriage of a Punjab gangster lodged in the jail for the last 10 years that appeared straight out of a Bollywood flick.</p>.<p>A six-hour window for the marriage inside the prison complex was all that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had permitted, after a three-year-long legal battle.</p>.<p>Gangster Mandeep Singh, who is serving a life term in a double murder case, dressed up in a groom’s attire. The love of his life, Pawandeep Kaur, walked inside the unwelcoming jail compound all dressed up as a traditional bride. Then began the rituals as per the Sikh tradition. A Sikh priest solemnized the wedding. The gangster and his bride finally tied the nuptial knot.</p>.<p>Mandeep Singh faces charges in many other cases registered against him by the police. In fact, the story has a background that stems out of the duo’s love for each other despite the bounds of the jail separating the two. “In 2016, the couple was supposed to get married. However, owing to security reasons, Mandeep’s plea was rejected. Pawandeep was dejected and decided to symbolically marry Mandeep’s photograph,” sources said.</p>.<p>She even moved to Mandeep’s house and started to stay with her ‘mother-in-law’. She moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court with a plea to get married to Mandeep.</p>.<p>Three years later, the court obliged but with amid restrictions and a time limit. Nearly eight family members from both sides participated in the marriage ceremony that was held under heavy security. Mandeep was convicted for the murder of a Sarpanch and his gunman.</p>
<p>Away from the usual security drills, the unpleasant sound of hooters, armed men-in-khaki and worn out inmates in cramped barracks, the high-security prison in Punjab’s Nabha woke up to an altogether different backdrop.</p>.<p>One part of the prison was decked up for a matrimonial event pending for a long time and was now about to happen. It was the marriage of a Punjab gangster lodged in the jail for the last 10 years that appeared straight out of a Bollywood flick.</p>.<p>A six-hour window for the marriage inside the prison complex was all that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had permitted, after a three-year-long legal battle.</p>.<p>Gangster Mandeep Singh, who is serving a life term in a double murder case, dressed up in a groom’s attire. The love of his life, Pawandeep Kaur, walked inside the unwelcoming jail compound all dressed up as a traditional bride. Then began the rituals as per the Sikh tradition. A Sikh priest solemnized the wedding. The gangster and his bride finally tied the nuptial knot.</p>.<p>Mandeep Singh faces charges in many other cases registered against him by the police. In fact, the story has a background that stems out of the duo’s love for each other despite the bounds of the jail separating the two. “In 2016, the couple was supposed to get married. However, owing to security reasons, Mandeep’s plea was rejected. Pawandeep was dejected and decided to symbolically marry Mandeep’s photograph,” sources said.</p>.<p>She even moved to Mandeep’s house and started to stay with her ‘mother-in-law’. She moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court with a plea to get married to Mandeep.</p>.<p>Three years later, the court obliged but with amid restrictions and a time limit. Nearly eight family members from both sides participated in the marriage ceremony that was held under heavy security. Mandeep was convicted for the murder of a Sarpanch and his gunman.</p>
