HC notice to Punjab, SEC on plea seeking probe into ‘illegal acts’

Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday sought response from the Punjab government and the state election commission on a petition seeking judicial inquiry to “examine the illegal acts of public servants” during the recently held civic polls.

The division bench of high court justice AK Mittal and justice Amit Rawal sought their response by January 11, acting on the plea filed by a Patialabased resident in the ongoing petition on Ferozepur protests by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

“We have sought judicial inquiry into the incidents wherein the democratic election process was subverted in Punjab during MC polls,” said DS Sobti, counsel for the petitioner.

The petitioner has also demanded that a retired high court judge be appointed as state election commissioner for “holding the local bodies and panchayat elections” in Punjab in future. All the nominations be accepted online and video recording be done of nomination process of the civic body polls, it has been demanded.

“Candidates of other political parties were not allowed to file their nominations and at some places, the nomination papers were rejected on frivolous grounds,” the counsel said.

Petitioner Bhavish Gautam also named four places — Mallanwala, Makhu, Baghapurana and Khemkaran — where opposition parties, including SAD, had claimed that their candidates were not allowed to file their nominations and not given NOC with the alleged complicity of public servants.

“The official not only turned blind eye to the incidents of rioting, assault, tearing of nomination papers but these officials also acted actively directly, deliberately to physically prevent the perspective candidates of other parties from filing the nomination papers and has rendered the entire election process a mere farce and made the mockery of democratic process ,” the petitioner stated.

He also mentioned the incident of Mallanwala where the Akali Dal had claimed that their members were attacked allegedly by Congress workers.

The petition also named Congress MLA Kulbir Singh Zira for allegedly leading Congress workers for attacking Akalis; and Punjab Police IG MS Chhina for allegedly misusing his official capacity to support Congress workers during the polls, Sobti said.

“The state election commission has miserably failed to protect the basic tenets of democracy ” the petitioner alleged.