Amid dissent over Kotkapura verdict, CM Capt Amarinder Singh calls Cabinet meet

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25

With dissent building up within the party over the political and administrative failure of the government in taking the SIT probe into the Kotkapura police firing incident to its logical conclusion due to shoddy handling of the investigation, Capt Amarinder Singh has called a meeting of the Council of Ministers tomorrow.

Will brief colleagues on way forward

Apart from taking up other issues, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is expected to brief his Cabinet colleagues about the way forward in dealing with the situation, post quashing of IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh-headed SIT probe by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Apart from taking up other issues, the Chief Minister is expected to brief his Cabinet colleagues about the way forward in dealing with the situation, post quashing of former IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh-headed SIT probe by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Chief Minister has been under pressure from his Cabinet colleagues to act firmly against those who created hurdles in bringing evidence against SAD leaders Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal before the court, and the loopholes left in the probe by the former IG.

It is learnt the state government was exploring the option of filing a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the High Court judgement so that it could continue with the probe and present the 10th challan, naming the Badals. This will also allow the government to proceed with the trial in the lower court. By doing so, the party will be able to undo the political damage it has suffered so far.

The second option, favoured by most of the ministers, was constituting a new SIT and conduct a time-bound probe to fulfil its promise ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections.

Senior leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sukhjinder Randhawa have already questioned as to why evidence against the Badals was not examined or brought before the court.

In the coming days, the CM would also be meeting the MLAs to feel their pulse on the issue as political storm on the issue is building up in the party.

In the last meeting with selected Cabinet ministers and some MLAs, the CM had advised all to wait for the HC judgement. “Now, the judgment has come, the CM will have wide discussion on the approach to be adopted,” said a senior party leader. Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa has called for a full house of MLA and MPs by the Chief Minister to debate and plan the way forward.