MLA Angural’s cases, acquittal of drug lord Kandola, kin hogged the limelight
Deepkamal Kaur
Jalandhar, December 18
Jalandhar Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sheetal Angural’s cases hogged the limelight in the Jalandhar District Courts here this year.
Divide over shifting of courts complex
The proposal to shift the courts complex to a new site in Nangal Shama on the Hoshiarpur road had the legal community divided with senior lawyers resisting the move and junior lawyers favouring it. The senior lawyers opine that shifting to a new location, which is nearly 6 kms ahead, would become a major hassle for them, while the junior lawyers are expecting space on reasonable charges for them in the new chambers.
Highs
- More people opting for Lok Adalats, seeking quicker disposal of cases
- Construction of ramp at the entrance to the courts complex
Lows
- Acute shortage of chambers for lawyers
- Filthy washrooms remain a big trouble for lawyers and visitors
On August 10 this year, the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Amit Kumar Garg issued a non-bailable warrant against the MLA after he had reportedly skipped 18 hearings in a case lodged against him for posting comments against complainant Harvinder Kaur Minty on the social media. The MLA had to compensate her and two others by paying Rs 25,000 in three separate cases for causing harassment to them by not appearing in their cases.
Angural was once again in the limelight. On December 12 this year, he got acquitted in a gambling case registered during the Covid times when he and 10 others were booked for violation of Section 144. His mobile phones too were confiscated in 2020 when the case was registered.
Another major case this year pertained to acquittal of drug lord Raja Kandola, his wife and son in a case of bid to escape from police custody, assaulting public servants and tearing the uniform of a cop. They were brought to the courts complex for hearing in an NDPS case in 2016.
This year, lawyers observed ‘no-work day’ several times, be it to express solidarity in cases of police action against advocates, demise of lawyers or shifting of the courts complex. For the same reason perhaps, the sitting District Bar Association president Aditya Jain made a comeback in the new body as its president for the second consecutive term.
The proposal to shift the courts complex to a new site in Nangal Shama on the Hoshiarpur road had the legal community divided with the senior lawyers resisting the move and the junior lawyers favouring it. The senior lawyers opine that shifting to a new location, which is nearly 6 kms ahead, would become a major hassle for them, while the junior lawyers are expecting space on reasonable charges for them in the new chambers. The building committee of the Punjab and Haryana High Court is to take the final call on the matter.
While the senior lawyers find it comfortable operating from the existing set-up of courts and the chambers they have right across, the junior lawyers have been scrambling for space. Since there is no space left for additional chambers, they have had to hire spaces in the adjoining commercial buildings.
