HC stays deposition of eyewitness against Bhadana

PANCHKULA In a setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the multi-crore mining scam in Faridabad, the Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed the deposition of eyewitness against former Haryana minister Kartar Singh Bhadana. It is the oldest running CBI case in Haryana.

Eyewitness Mahi Pal Singh first told the CBI that he had himself seen Bhadana indulging in illegal mining in Ishak Mandi. But during his deposition before CBI special court, Haryana, in Panchkula, he turned hostile. But recently, he approached the court again and claimed that he was under threat and requested for recording of his statement again.

Bhadana strongly opposed Mahi Pal’s application while the CBI supported him. Bhadana said that he had a dispute with Mahipal and that’s why the latter wanted to depose against him. After listening to the arguments, the CBI court allowed his application stating that dispute occurred much later between the two parties and when the investigation agency first recorded the statement there was no dispute. It added that if he was under threat earlier, then his statement should be recorded again.

But then Bhadana approached the high court, Justice AB Chaudhary stayed the impugned order and asked the trial court to proceed further and complete the trial “at the earliest.” The high court order has now been placed before the CBI court.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet in the case in 2004, blaming Kartar Singh Bhadana, Kuldeepak Ahuja, Gopi Chand and JP Malhotra for illegal mining in Ishak Mandi and Anangpur areas of Faridabad.

The chargesheet was field under Section 379 (for theft) of IPC, Section 21 of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Earlier, acting on a petition of Faridabad-based journalist Subhash Sharma, the high court had ordered the CBI to investigate into the allegations of illegal mining in the entire Faridabad district on April 20, 2001. The CBI registered a regular case on September 12, 2001, in this regard and took three years to file chargesheet.

The case took much time also as proceedings remained stayed after the accused had approached the high court and even the Supreme Court.