HC notice to govt, Hry minister on councillor’s plea

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has put Haryana cabinet minister Ram Bilas Sharma and state government on notice on a plea by a Mahendergarh councillor, challenging his suspension from local municipal committee.

The independent councillor, Surender Kumar, was suspended on February 27 as a member of Mahendergarh municipal committee after seven FIRs came to light against him, including some of ‘moral turpitude’. The high court bench of justice Jitendra Chauhan has sought response from both the parties by November 27.

His counsel, Gaurav Mohunta, told court that the petitioner was removed as a councillor by director, department of local bodies, a decision challenged by the petitioner before principal secretary of the department concerned. However, the secretary has not taken any decision on that. Out of seven FIRs, cancellation reports have been prepared by police in six. All seven FIRs were registered after June 2016, after the petitioner was elected as a councillor, the court was told.

The petitioner had claimed that FIRs were result of political rivalry between the minister and him. Kumar undertook the task of making an endeavour to remove red-tapism, corruption from the system, initiatives not ‘liked’ by the minister, who nurtured a ‘personal grudge’ against him and started making moves to remove the petitioner as a councillor, the court was told.