Punjab seeks recall of high court order on ‘interim protection’ to Umranangal
CHANDIGARH :The Punjab and Haryana high court will take up on Monday a plea of Punjab government seeking recalling of its order giving interim protection to suspended inspector general of police (IGP) Parmraj Singh Umranangal in sacrilege violence cases of 2015.
On March 7, the high court had ordered that seven-day advance notice be served on him before initiating any action in criminal cases registered in the 2015 police firing incidents on anti-sacrilege protesters. Arrested in one case, he was granted bail by a trial court on March 11.
The application for recalling this order has been filed by the state government, arguing that the petition by the suspended IGP appeared to have been filed, mentioned and got listed in urgent supplementary list, which is put out during the day of hearing.
The matter neither featured on the ordinary list or even the urgent list of the court, which is uploaded the previous evening, the state said, adding that it had no advance notice or even knowledge of the listing of his petition.
The state has accused Umranangal of making false submissions, adding that he has falsely made a declaration in March 7 petition that no such similar application was filed by him. However, a verification from the HC registry revealed that he had filed a plea on February 16, which was withdrawn later, the state said, adding that on this ground alone, the relief ought to be recalled.
It has also argued that the suspended IGP got relief “without effective notice” to the state for reply. The law officer, who was present in the court on the said date, had no instructions on the issue and also did not even had a copy of the petition.
“...the petitioner was directed to supply such copy in the course of the day. Such copy was supplied to the office of the advocate general several hours after the order was passed,” the state’s plea said, hence the matter merits recall of earlier order by the court. The state also referred to the case of Charanjit Singh Sharma, former SSP Moga, who was initially given similar relief on March 8, but after the state’s intervention the order was modified on the same day.