HC to see if complaint could have been made after term was over

The Punjab and Haryana high court would examine whether justice Ranjit Singh (retd) could have filed the criminal complaint against former deputy chief minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, under the Commission of Inquiry Act, after his term was over.

Justice Ranjit who presided over the Commission of Inquiry into 2015 sacrileges cases has approached the high court with a criminal complaint against the two seeking action for bringing ‘disrepute’ to the commission by way of utterances.

Justice Ranjit panel, set up in April 2017, submitted its first part of report on June 30, 2018 and second part on August 16, 2018. The report was tabled in the House on August 27, 2018.

During the resumed hearing on Monday, the high court bench of justice Amit Rawal sought details such as when the panel was set up and when its term got over. The judge also asked senior advocate APS Deol, representing justice Ranjit, to provide a notification by Punjab government on setting up the commission, on the next date of hearing.

Deol apprised that as per the Act, a member can complain against the person within six months of the commission of the offence. However, the court was of the view that it needed to be examined whether it can be filed by a member after he or she ceased to exist as the member of a particular Commission of Inquiry. The briefings in question are of August 23 and August 27, 2018, in which the duo and other SAD members made statements, which as per justice Singh were defamatory and brought disrepute to the former judge and the commission.

During the hearing, the judge observed that the CDs of press conferences by Sukhbir and Majithia in which alleged statements were made have been examined by him. However, he did not make any observation about the content.

The judge also sought to know when the press briefings were held. When Deol apprised that one of the briefing was of August 23, 2018, the judge remarked how the duo got report even before it was tabled in the house. The hearing has been deferred till February 20 now.

In the complaint, the former judge has alleged that Sukhbir termed his report as a “pile of waste paper” and referred to the judge as ‘injustice’ Ranjit Singh. Sukhbir accused the former judge of acting in a ‘malicious manner’ and indulging into ‘cheating and forgery’ while preparing the report.

JUSTICE RANJIT HAS APPROACHED HC WITH A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST SUKHBIR AND MAJITHIA SEEKING ACTION FOR BRINGING ‘DISREPUTE’ TO THE COMMISSION