Chandigarh, May 27
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the state to expedite the investigations in the first information report registered against four PCS (Judicial) candidates of the 2001 batch, while refusing to grant them immediate relief.
The three-judge Bench of the High Court ruled: “So far as the cases of the petitioners Ram Saran, Preetwinder Singh, Rajinder Bansal and Anil Kumar Jindal of the 2001 batch, against whom FIR No. 64 dated September 3, 2002, has been registered, are concerned, we are of the view that the investigation is yet to be completed.
“The meaning thereby is that till they are given clean chit, they are in a shady zone at this stage and that they are surrounded by tainted clouds which are yet to be cleared. These petitioners are not entitled to any relief at this stage on account of pendency of investigation”.
In their detailed order, the Bench added: “Before we part with the judgment, we would, however, like to observe that the investigation is, undoubtedly, yet to be completed in the FIR and for the reasons best known to the state, the investigation could not be completed for the past six years.
“In such like circumstances, it is abundantly clear that in case the investigations remain pending for such a period, the faith and the confidence of the people would be shaken not only in the law enforcing agency, but also in the administration of justice.”
The Bench of Chief Justice Vijender Jain, Justice H.S. Bhalla and Justice Rajesh Bindal ruled: “During the course of hearing, counsel for the state has not been able to assign any reason as to why the investigation could not be completed till today. To our mind, a sword of Damocles is not to be hanged on the head of the candidates of the 2001 batch for all times to come”.
In its detailed order, the Bench added: “No explanation could be submitted by the state counsel for the delay and latches in conducting the investigation against the petitioners after the registration of the case.”
