No change in panchayat election schedule Out on bail , Cong MLA aide POLL NOMINEE FOUND DEAD IN elected sarpanch unopposed NABHA HOTEL
State election commission reiterates this after a high court vacation bench refuses to modify its Dec 24 order; next hearing on Jan 7
CHANDIGARH: The state election commission (SEC) on Thursday said the panchayat polls in Punjab will be held as per schedule on December 30.
The announcement was made after the Punjab and Haryana high court refused to modify the December 24 order asking the government to consider representations of those whose candidature was rejected.
The HC vacation bench of justices TS Dhindsa and Mahabir Singh Sidhu took up the petition and deferred the hearing to January 7. “The elections will be held on December 30 as the high court did not comment on the poll schedule,” state election commissioner Jagpal Singh Sandhu said.
“The competent authorities, i.e., deputy commissioners, were taking up individual representations. They know the fate of representations which as per HC orders were to be filed within 48 hours of the December 24 order. The aggrieved persons should have made their representations within specified time,” he said.
Of a total of 13,276 seats of sarpanches and 83,831 seats of panches, 4,363 sarpanches and 46,754 panches have been elected unanimously, the election commission says. On December 24, the HC bench hearing at least 100 petitions alleging arbitrary rejection of candidature had asked all the petitioners to make representations for the redressal of their
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SAYS POLL PANEL BESIDES FACING CHARGES OF LOOTING TWO TRUCKLOADS OF RICE AT GUNPOINT, RULING PARTY WORKER WAS ALSO HELD WITH ILLEGAL FIREARMS
grievances to the deputy commissioners, who in turn, were directed to direct the same to the returning officers concerned. A window of 48 hours was given for the grievance redressal.
The state government had argued that the order was in violation of the Supreme Court directive saying courts can’t interfere once election process is set in motion.
“The order was passed in 110 petitions, without hearing the state government which doesn’t even know what was grievance of the petitioners. In many cases, they have not got the writ petitions filed by the candidates,” the state’s counsel had told the HC. The state argued ballot papers have already been printed and if new candidates were allowed the polls will have to be postponed.
Though the government functionaries claim that the process was carried in a transparent manner, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Akali Dal called it a farce. “How can the government deny that it was not interfering in the poll process? The rejection of the government’s plea for a review of order today is a slap on their face,” AAP MLA Aman Arora said. He demanded that postal ballots be given to at least 1 lakh government employees to cast their vote in the polls.
SAD leader Daljit Cheema said the government should have gone by the court order and made serious efforts for grievance redressal of aggrieved parties. AMRITSAR : A Congress worker, who is out on bail in cases of looting two truckloads of rice and for carrying an unlicensed weapon, has been elected sarpanch unopposed from Margindpura village in Tarn Taran district’s Bhikhiwind sub-division ahead of the state panchayat polls scheduled on December 30.
Sartaj Singh Sandhu, who is reportedly close to the party MLA from Khemkaran, Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, was arrested under the Arms Act on December 2. He was nabbed with an unlicensed .12 bore riffle and 10 cartridges at a naka in Chheharta of Amritsar.
He was released on bail after he was remanded to two-day police custody.
Also a commission agent, Sartaj was also arrested in November 2017 by police for looting two truckloads of basmati rice at gunpoint in on the Tarn Taran bypass in Amritsar district. Besides Sartaj, police had also arrested his accountant Jasbir Singh and a worker. Police had claimed to have recovered the looted rice bags from Sartaj’s house.
A case under Sections 392 (punishment for robbery), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act was registered against them.
On Sartaj’s input, the police in December 2017 had arrested two of his accomplices Harpreet Singh alias Sandhu of Naushehra village in Majitha and Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi of Harike in Tarn Taran with a Hyundai i-20 car and a trailer and two tractors they had snatched in Jalandhar district.
On the input of these two, police once again recovered 170 bags of basmati rice from Sartaj’s Tarn Taran residence. The police had said the accused had looted around 1,300 bags of basmati (each containing 50 kg) worth nearly ₹20 lakh.
Chhatwind station house officer (SHO) Gurwinder Singh said, “After his arrest in the rice loot case, Sartaj remained in Amritsar jail for five months in the jail and is currently on bail. The case is pending in court. We have substantial proofs against him.”
Block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) Bhikhwind said Sartaj was elected as sarpanch unopposed as no one filed nomination papers against him.
Bhikhiwind sub-divisional magistrate (Sdm)-cum-returning officer (RO) Anupreet Kaur said, “We were not aware of the cases registered against Sartaj. If someone had raised an objection, we could take action. Now, since the scrutiny period is over, we can’t do anything.”
Former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA from Khemkaran Virsa Singh Valtoha said, “No Akali worker was allowed to file nomination paper in the village due to pressure of the ruling Congress. It is very shameful that a person with criminal record has been made sarpanch.” NABHA : A 35-year-old candidate, Avtar Singh, from ward number 1 in Nabha’s Gurditpura village was found dead in his room at his employer’s hotel, Nabha Niwas, on Wednesday morning. Avtar worked as a helper.
“An ‘angithi’ (coal burner) was on in the room where he had slept. He might have died due to lack of oxygen caused by the burning coal since there was no ventilation or window in the room,” said Sadar station house officer (SHO) Jai Inder Singh, adding that the body had been sent for an autopsy and its report is awaited.
Nabha sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Kala Ram Kansal said, “As per rules, the election in the ward from where the victim was a candidate will be countermanded and fresh nominations would be invited. A report will be sent to the state election commission.”
The hotel belongs to Jasdeep Singh, who is the brother of Amloh legislator Randeep Singh.
“We express our sympathy and support for the victim’s kin. My brother Jasdeep Singh, who is abroad these days, handles this enterprise and for the past six years, the hotel has been further leased out.”