Express
news service
Posted:
May 25, 2012 at 0220 hrs IST
Chandigarh
Expanding the scope of investigation of the case on illegal
properties owned by high-ups, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today
decided to include other cases pertaining to grabbing and
encroachment on shamlat/ common land in other areas of Punjab. The
development took place during the resumed hearing today of a PIL on
properties owned by high-ups in the UT periphery. Today’s hearing
was to decide the terms of reference of the investigation to be
handed over to a Judicial Tribunal. The High Court observed that
other cases can be clubbed together with this petition.
Senior
lawyer M L Sarin had pointed out to the Bench on Wednesday that he
was appointed an amicus curiae in a case pertaining shamlat/ common
land grabbed by highs-up in Mohali and related areas. The Bench today
observed that the cases, five in number, can be heard together to be
decided whether they (case) should also go to the Judicial Tribunal
to be headed by Justice (Retd) Kuldeep Singh of the Supreme Court.
The
cases will now come up for hearing on May 28. On Wednesday the High
Court had raised eyebrows over the change in entries of land from
public to private, owned by 60 high-ups in the periphery of
Chandigarh,. The High Court had questioned the “clean chit” given
by the Punjab government to its “elite group” of 60 high-ups.
Rejecting
the stout opposition of the Punjab government to handing over of the
probe of the case to a judicial tribunal, the High Court had observed
on Wednesday, “How do we expect that those who are to decide will
decide against themselves?”
Refusing
to believe that the investigation has been done by Punjab in a
transparent manner, the Bench had made it clear that the probe would
be conducted by a judicial tribunal headed by Justice (Retd) Kuldeep
Singh, who will be assisted by a District and Sessions Judge (DSJ).
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2012 The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved
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