High Court Judge recuses himself from hearing PIL on Minister

  

On Thursday, a Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge recused himself from hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that Punjab cabinet minister Rana Gumeet Singh Sodhi had perpetrated a fraud on the state exchequer by taking compensation twice — in 1962 and 2012— for acquisition of the same piece of land.

The petition has sought directions for a CBI probe into the case.

The PIL was listed for hearing before a division bench comprising of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli on Thursday, however, Justice Palli recused himself from the case. Now the matter has been referred to another bench for hearing.

The matter had reached before the HC in the wake of a petition filed by Dinesh Chadha, advocate and two other residents of Roopnagar district in Punjab.

According to the petitioners, the land of Rana Gurmeet Singh, four-time MLA and the minister of sports and youth affairs department and NRI affairs Punjab, and his family was acquired and compensation was paid in 1962.

 

However, the same land was again mischievously acquired in 2012 by the state for the same purpose by sheer manipulations and widespread bungling, leading to double payment of compensation for the same very land twice to the minister and his family.

The PIL has alleged that the minister and his family have defrauded the state exchequer and public at large.

The petition has sought directions to declare both the acquisition proceedings null and void and to order a CBI investigation into the entire case.

 

It has also been submitted in the PIL that as per the state's inquiry committee report, the whole fraud and modus operandi of Rana Gurmeet Singh has been unearthed, and now keeping in view of his influence, the state is diluting the scam to shield the corrupt persons who have looted the state by abusing their official positions.

Prayer has also been made in the PIL for restraining the minister from leaving the country without the court’s permission.

According to the petition, the minister's land was acquired for construction of the section of Ferozpur-Fazilka road to Guruharsahai, Ferozepur.

 SOURCE ; https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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(With input from news agency language)

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