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Journalism of Courage
The functioning of the Judicial Tribunal,which in its initial investigation has held that a land grab scam is operating in citys periphery,has come to a standstill.
Stating that since the initial deadline is over,members of the tribunal have stopped going to the office provided to them by the Punjab government in Sector 17,Chandigarh. We have no personal interest in this investigation. Propriety demands we should resume work only if the High Court wants us to continue. It was for the High Court to decide,after our report,whether to allow us an extension or not but the case has been adjourned, said a member of the tribunal.
The members have also returned the official vehicles given by the Punjab government.
Constituted on May 29 last by the Punjab and Haryana High Court,the tribunal was given an initial deadline of four months to complete its probe. However,it was made clear that the tribunal could seek an extension from the High Court.
Last week,the three-member tribunal had submitted an interim report highlighting several instances of land grab and the collusive participation of the government authorities in grabbing valuable land. The tribunal submitted that a detailed probe would take at least a year. The High Court adjourned the case to March 26,asking the Punjab government to respond to the tribunals report.
The members of the tribunal are unhappy with the non-cooperative attitude of the Punjab government authorities. Though we were given four months,practically we got only two and a half months to investigate,thanks to the hurdles posed by the state authorities. The authorities had to be requested repeatedly to submit the records. Yet,the entire records in certain cases were not provided, the member added. Another complaint is refusal by the state authorities to pay the dues to the members.
According to the state government,there is confusion over the amount of money to be paid to two members. For,they say,the High Court had fixed over Rs 1 lakh each for two members. But the duration,whether total for four months or monthly,has not been specified in the High Courts order. While the members maintain that the amount should be paid each month,the state authorities say that only Rs 30,000 is to be paid each month to the members. Contesting this,the members had filed an application in the court in December last. The application,which has seen three adjournments,is hanging fire pending which two members have not drawn money from the state.
The formation of the tribunal comprising Justice (retd) Kuldip Singh,Advocate P N Aggarwal and Babu Ram Gupta was opposed tooth and nail by the Punjab government before the High Court and then the apex court. The tribunal was set up after the High Court had shown no conviction in the investigation done by the Punjab Police to probe the illegal properties owned by its high-ups in the citys periphery.
Significantly,the tribunal has revealed the illegal orders passed by the civil courts facilitating unauthorised possession of land. The involvement of civil courts in the land grab cases has come to light for the first time. The tribunal has slammed the civil courts for entertaining cases which they were incompetent to. As per rules,only a few authorities designated are competent to entertain such cases,reads the tribunals report. Also,collusive decrees by defaulters were given an official stamp by the civil courts,the tribunal has held.
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