Consumer panel asks CBI to arrest contractor

Tribune News Service

Mohali, June 18

After the Mohali police failed to arrest contractor Malkit Singh, who has been accused of duping consumers of huge amounts of money, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to nab him.

Commission president SD Sharma said: “We feel that the very purpose of the Consumer Protection Act will fail if such type of accused are allowed to eat up the money of innocent complainants.”

Earlier, the counsel for a complainant had argued that Malkit Singh – proprietor of M/s Gill Contractor – who is living within the jurisdiction of Mohali district, was not being arrested by the police despite several non-bailable warrants being issued against him.

In more than 39 cases non-bailable warrants have been issued against Malkit Singh, claimed the complainant.

“It is proved that Malkit Singh, who is intentionally evading the service of warrants of this Commission, is bent upon to cheat the process of law,” stated the commission.

“It is not possible to prosecute and convict him under Section 72 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 unless or until he is brought to the commission,” the commission observed.

“Despite our several orders to the district police Mohali in several cases, arrest of Malkit Singh could not be effected. We have no alternative except to take the services of some other agency to seek the arrest of this person and to invoke the rule of law in these cases,” it added.

The commission ordered that the arrest warrants related to all the 39 cases be sent to the CBI Director with a request letter to help the District Consumer Commission to ensure the arrest of Malkit Singh, who was roaming freely within the jurisdiction of Mohali district even after usurping the money of various complainants.

The commission has fixed August 28 as the next date of hearing in the case.