Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, September 29
No less than 42 FIRs are pending investigation against sitting and erstwhile MPs and MLAs in the State of Punjab as on September 14. Besides, 99 cases were pending trial in Courts across the State against MPs and MLA.
Information to this effect was furnished before Punjab and Haryana High Court by the State of Punjab today.
The information came more than a year after the High Court made clear its intent to fast-lane cases involving sitting and erstwhile parliamentarians and legislators of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
As the matter came up for resumed hearing, Punjab Additional Advocate-General Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala placed before the Bench an affidavit filed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Litigation, Bureau of Investigation, Sarabjit Singh.
The Bench, during the previous date of hearing, had warned the two states regarding the imposition of heavy costs if compliance report of its previous orders was not submitted.
The Bench also made it clear that the costs would be imposed upon the officials responsible to file the affidavit/status report and would be recovered from his/her salary.
The direction came after the Bench asserted compliance report by way of an affidavit had not been submitted by the States of Haryana and Punjab within the time stipulated. “This is a fit case where heavy cost should be imposed upon the respondents. But keeping in view the fact that last opportunity has been prayed for, we adjourn the case”.
The Bench had earlier sought information on the stage of trial, along with status of each case, including the witnesses examined and remaining. The Bench was hearing suo motu or Court on its own motion matter “In Re: Special Courts for MPs/MLAs” for monitoring the progress of cases pending against the MP/MLAs.
