पंजाब सरकार पर भ्रष्टाचार के आरोप पर हाई कोर्ट ने फैसला स्थगित किया

High Court reserves verdict on PIL alleging corruption in Punjab Government

Appearing before the Bench, the ED blamed the government for not acting on the letter sent by its Jalandhar zone to the state DGP

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday reserved its verdict on a petition alleging that senior officers of the State of Punjab were involved in various scams including “cash for transfers; cash for getting favourable policies; cash for tenders, and such other illegal activities”. The petitioner’s stand in the matter is that communications have been sent by the Enforcement Directorate to the State of Punjab in this regard, yet action has not been taken.

The Bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor reserved the verdict – among other things – on the issue of maintainability after hearing lengthy and elaborate arguments in the matter by all sides spread over no less than six hearings.

Appearing before the Bench, the ED blamed the government for not acting on the letter sent by its Jalandhar zone to the state DGP. “The government did not perform its Rajdharam, instead it indulged in Rajnitik Dharam,” senior advocate and Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain contended.

“We do not want to politicse the matter, that is why ED wrote to the Punjab police was told to register confidential FIR” Jain submitted before the Bench.

The State, on the other hand, sought three-week time to place before the Bench the final status report in the matter. “We will communicate with the final status on this within a period of three weeks. That’s the maximum that we are seeking. We are already in the process…. We are looking into every nitty gritty. We will nip the evil in the bud,” senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari contended on the State’s behalf.

Chaudhari, during the course of hearing, questioned why ED took 90 days to send a communication to Punjab DGP. “They are questioning 14-day delay by us. But they took 90 days to write to us and want us to register a criminal case without complying with the statutory obligations,” Chaudhari said, adding that Punjab police was required to examine the material ED had supplied, nature of offence alleged and applicability of law in each respect.

The petitioner, practising lawyer Nikhil Saraf, had stated that communications had been sent by the Enforcement Directorate under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002, to the State of Punjab. “Despite such facts as well as other facts of corruption in high public office,

having been highlighted by the petitioner also, no action is being taken in the matter,” he added.

In his petition, Saraf has stated that a part of the complaint is available on social media with various journalists and politicians. According to the petition, the main allegations were against public persons, public servants and other private individuals working in the Chief Minister’s Office. The petition said some of them were very close to the family of the Chief Minister.

Powered by Nyaya 247 News