Finding nothing amiss with the selection of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Hemant Gopal,the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday dismissed a petition challenging his selection as the ADJ. Gopal has been accused of fraudulently showing his experience as a practising lawyer for seven years while he was a full-time lecturer at Sangrur law college. Contesting the accusations,Gopal had submitted that he was a part-time lecturer at the college. Referring to rules laid down by the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana,a division bench of the high court has held that the rules allow a practising lawyer to teach part-time. Gopal was selected as ADJ in 2008. Last month,Gopal was suspended by the high court on the basis of preliminary probe conducted by the Vigilance judge of the HC on a complaint by former MLA Mangat Rai Bansal. The former MLA,convicted in a criminal case,had produced a CD and phone call details,showing a middleman striking a deal for Rs 40 lakh allegedly on Gopals behalf. Gopal was then Patiala special CBI judge. He is currently under suspension and will now face a regular inquiry. Jalandhar resident Jitender Kumar had challenged Gopals selection in the high court in 2009. Kumar had alleged that Gopal got himself enrolled as an advocate on August 25,1999. After his enrolment,he joined Bhai Gurdas Institute of Law at Sangrur as a full-time lecturer in 2005 at a consolidated salary of Rs 8,000 per month and served till September 2007. Besides,the petitioner alleged,Gopal also ran an academy at Barnala on a regular basis. Kumar had produced Sangrur law institutes prospectus issued for 2005-06 before the court. The prospectus mentioned that Gopal was appointed as moot courts in-charge at the college campus. the teaching of academic session along with practical training programme is the main task assigned to him. It was further alleged that Gopal had procured a fake experience certificate from the district bar association of Barnala,on December 1,2008. According to the petitioner,the procured certificate stated during above said period from January 2,2006 to August 30,2007 he used to practise at Barnala district courts after lunch break and on every Saturday. Meanwhile,Not only Gopals selection,the high court has also upheld the entire selection of ADJs made in February 2008. The petitioner had alleged that he had been awarded low marks due to legal malice so that the chosen candidates could steal a march in the selection process. Finding little merit in the allegations,the HC has upheld the selection of ADJs.
