Punjab incurs R14 lakh to defend Badal in US court
Tuesday, 18/12/2012
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The Punjab government has incurred a bill of more than Rs 14 lakh till date for defending chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in a civil lawsuit filed against him by New York- based human rights group Sikhs For Justice in the district court of eastern district of Wisconsin ( US) for alleged atrocities on Sikhs during his tenure.
The information was received by advocate Jagmohan Singh Bhatti under the Right To Information Act from the administrative branch of the Punjab advocate general office on December 17.
The RTI information reveals that the state government had accorded sanction for the foreign visit of advocate general Ashok Aggarwal a nd t hen s e ni or additional advocate general Jaskirat Singh Sidhu to pursue the civil law suit pending in the district court of eastern district of Wisconsin from August 24 to 31.
As per information, Michael Best and Friedrich LLP ( a Wisconsin law firm) has submitted a claim of more than Rs 5.4 lakh for professional services rendered by it till date. On their Wisconsin visit, both law officers had engaged Michael Best and Friedrich LLP, along with Kirkland and Ellis LLP, to defend the case, the RTI reply states.
Aggarwal has claimed more than Rs 4.25 lakh for expenses incurred on air travel, hotel charges and dearness allowance for eight days and Sidhu has submitted a claim of more than Rs 4.55 lakh for a nine- day tour.
The information also reveals that a payment of Rs 2. 5 lakh each was made t o Aggarwal and Sidhu as travel allowance advance and t he balance amount is yet to be paid to them. “However, no fee bill has been submitted by them with the office till date,” reads the reply.
Answering one of the questions, the RTI reply states that though “Parkash Singh Badal has been impleaded by name, but the action of Parkash Singh Badal has been challenged as state representative/ chief minister.”
THE CASE
The eastern district of Wisconsin had i ssued summons to Parkash Singh Badal on August 8, a few hours before his scheduled visit to meet families of Wisconsin gurdwara tragedy victims.
The petitioner human rights group had accused Badal of “defending notorious police officer Sumedh Singh Saini, currently director general of Punjab police, before the courts in complaints of human rights violations.” It was also alleged t hat during Badal’s regime ( 1997- 2002 and 2007 till 2012), “over 10,000 cases of torture and extra- judicial killings” had taken place.
