CHANDIGARH, Punjab—In a case pertaining to making defamatory utterances against the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and MLA Bikram Majithia to appear on July 11. The High Court bench headed by Justice Amit Rawal issued this order following four hours long hearing in this case on April 29.
Although the lawyers of Sukhbir Badal and Majithia claimed before the court that they have the power to exempt their clients from personal appearance on the first date of the hearing but their argument was strongly opposed by the Justice Ranjit Singh’s lawyers.
However, Justice Rawal had exempted both the leaders from appearing before the court today.
Citing the Commission of Inquiry Act, the defense lawyers RS Cheema, AS Cheema and KS Nalva said that Justice Ranjit Singh’s complaint comes under the purview of warrant but normally it’s a summon case. Cheema said that there is a provision for punishment upto two years in the summon case, whereas in the warrant case, more than two years imprisonment can be pronounced.
“In the case of Justice Ranjit Singh’s complaint, there is a provision of up to six months imprisonment or a fine. So, their clients can be exempted from personal hearing on the first date of the summon case,” he said.
Senior advocates, APS Deol, HS Deol, GS Poonia and PS Dhulia, who appeared for Justice Ranjit Singh, argued that the section 10-A of the Act authorizes the High Court to accept the warrant case and direct the accused for personal appearance.
It may be recalled here that the former High Court Judge Justice Ranjit Singh, who headed the Commission of Inquiry in sacrilege and police firing cases, had lodged a criminal complaint against the SAD president Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Majithia for their utterances against the Commission of Inquiry. He had referred to more than one instance where Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Majithia made statements against the commission and its head, which brought it into disrepute.
