HC notice to Haryana on fresh plea by Kumar

VIRENDER KUMAR, POLITICAL ADVISER TO THEN HARYANA CHIEF MINISTER BHUPINDER SINGH HOODA, HAS PLEADED AGAINST THE FORMATION OF PANEL

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court, on Monday, put Haryana government on notice on a plea by Virender Kumar, political adviser to then Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda against the constitution of justice (retd) SN Jha panel. The panel was constituted to probe the conspiracy angle in the violence witnessed during the Jat agitation of February 2016. Nearly 30 persons had died and public and private property worth thousands of crores was damaged during violent protests that lasted more than a week. The state’s response has been sought by Tuesday.

Kumar has claimed before court that the panel had been constituted to nullify the findings of the Prakash Singh Committee, which had indicted the state’s police and civil administration officials. “During the pendency of investigation by the SIT, there was no necessity of setting up a Commission as the entire proceedings of the Commission are based on the FIR itself,” he has told court.

The FIR in question relates to alleged incidents of looting, vandalism and arson, in Rohtak, that a SIT is probing. On February 21, 2016, a audio clip was telecast on some TV channels in which Kumar was allegedly heard provoking one Man Singh Dalal, spokesperson of the Dalal Khap to create a law and order problem in the Sirsa area.

Earlier this month too, he had challenged the constitution of the panel. However, the court had disposed of the petition, asking the government to send him fresh notices.

In the fresh plea, he has also challenged notices to him by Jha Commission asking him to appear before it to answer allegations and to produce his defence, and to cross-examine witnesses who appeared against him.