HC orders ‘gurdwara owner’ to stop solemnising marriages

Justice L N Mittal was shocked to learn that Singh had installed Guru Granth Sahib in his living room,which he was using to exploit runaway couples and issue them marriage certificates.

Justice Mittal pointed out that such things are taking place with the help of advocates. Supporting the observation,senior standing counsel for UT Administration,advocate Anupam Gupta said: “It is a professional network. There is a racket for solemnising marriages in Chandigarh. Lawyers are exploiting runaway couples and charging commission from them.”

Expressing surprise over the modus operandi used by Singh,Justice Mittal said: “Can he run a gurdwara from his house and issue marriage certificates?”

Gupta,meanwhile,said Guru Granth Sahib can be installed for worship but not for solemnising marriages.

Singh not only used to get quick marriage certificates but also wedding clothes for the couples. The charges varied from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000,as per the demands of the runaway couples from Punjab,Haryana and Chandigarh.

The clientele of Singh,who originally belongs to Haryana,increased so rapidly that on an average,three to four petitions filed in the High Court by runaway couples carried marriage certificates issued by him.

The marriage certificates had come under the scanner of the High Court in November last year when it issued notices to the Chandigarh Administration directing it to find out whether this place is actually a gurdwara or a commercial shop turned into gurdwara.

Babla case: Complainant seeks transfer of Bail Plea hearing

Raising apprehensions of not getting a fair,impartial and speedy trial,Suraj Parkash Ahuja has filed an application in the UT district courts seeking transfer of the hearing on the anticipatory bail plea filed by Municipal Councillor Davinder Singh Babla.

At present,the case is pending at the court of UT District and Sessions Judge K K Garg.

Ahuja is the complainant in a case of alleged forgery against Babla. A resident of Panchkula,he has also questioned the bonafides of the proceedings under which Babla was granted interim bail by the sessions court.

“In this case,the due process for entertaining bail applications and hearing them have not been followed,” alleges the transfer application filed by Ahuja on Wednesday.

Ahuja said that Babla’s case had not appeared in the cause list of the cases listed on August 26 (when Babla was granted interim bail) and only later an entry by hand was made in the list. “Babla is accused of fraud and fabrication and misuse of authority as chairman of the market committee. It is a fit case,wherein it is expedient in the interest of justice that the case be transferred to some other court,” reads the application filed by Ahuja.

Ahuja also alleged that for the last two date of hearings,his application challenging the interim bail granted to Babla is not being heard as the judge concerned is on leave.

On August 19,the police had booked Babla and Rakesh Saini,president of the Arhtiya Association of the Sector-26 grain market,for allegedly allotting platforms in the market to 10 non-eligible persons.

According to the police,Ahuja,owner of shops 9-10 in the grain market had lodged a complaint alleging irregularities were committed during the auctioning and allotting of platforms on July 24.