Chandigarh, January 23
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s announcement of “poll bonanza” for the SGPC members in the form of permission to use red beacons atop their vehicles, made on the eve of the committee’s election, has come under judicial scanner.
Issuing notice of motion to the State of Punjab and other respondents in the petition before it, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the operation of a clause in a the Punjab government notification allowing the use of red beacons.
A Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia, issued the directions on a petition filed in public interest by Amritsar-based Anti-Corruption Morcha’s vice-president Veneet Mahajan.
Soon after the issuance of the directions, Punjab’s advocate-general Hardev Singh Mattewal said they would present the government’s viewpoint before the High Court in the form of a detailed reply. He added that the state was on a firm ground as the SGPC was not a religious body, but an organisation
managing the gurdwaras. In his petition before the High Court, Mahajan has also challenged the state government’s move to provide two official gunmen as security to the SGPC members. He has claimed that the provision of security guards was posing unnecessary financial burden on the state exchequer.
He has further claimed that the notification, issued on November 22 last year by principal secretary (transport department) Damanbir Singh Jaspal, contained no reference to provision of security guards to the SGPC members.
After preliminary hearing on the matter and a perusal of the notification and other documents annexed along with the petition, the Bench, while staying the portion of the notification regarding the use of red beacons atop vehicles of SGPC members, fixed February 4 as the next date of hearing.
