HC notice to Bibi Jagir Kaur on ‘encroachment’ of land
Saturday, 31/05/2014
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Chandigarh : Acting on a petition seeking Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) former chief Bibi Jagir Kaur for allegedly encroaching upon prime land measuring 149 kanals, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday issued notices to her, state government and Kapurthala deputy commissioner. Similar notices were also issued to state Lokpal for October 28 by a bench headed by Justice Ritu Bahri.
Alleging it to be a multi-crore scam, petitioner George Subh of Begowal Nagar Panchayat sought a CBI probe into the case. In the petition, he claimed that market value of land, which belonged to Begowal Nagar Panchayat, was more than Rs 100 crore. He added that some part of the land was being utilised to run Sant Prem Singh Khalsa High School, Begowal. It was occupying nearly two to three acres, but remaining 18 to 20 acres was being used by Bibi for agricultural purposes and for personal gains.
He further added that “the private respondents have raised a one kilometre long six-foot high boundary wall. The Nagar Panchayat, Begowal, issued notice on August 8, 2009, to stop the construction. In spite of it, the construction did not stop on the government land.” Referring to a RTI information received by him, the petitioner claimed there was no record of any lease for the land. “The record was also not available to show as to how and on whose orders the name of president of Sant Prem Singh Khalsa high School was entered in the revenue records of nagar panchayat land”.
The petitioner further claimed he and other prominent area residents approached authorities for redressal of their grievances but to no avail because of the influence wielded by the private respondents and also due to their proximity with the chief minister. They then approached the Lokpal but to no avail.
MLAs’ plea goes to full bench
The high court on Friday referred a plea filed by Punjab MLAs against notices issued to them by the Income Tax Department in connection with the Tata Camelot project to a full bench. Nearly 10 former and present MLAs in Punjab have been asked by the department to pay capital gains tax on more than Rs 2 crore allegedly earned by entering into a deal with Tata for construction of Tata Camelot Housing project.
Taking up their plea, Justice Rajive Bhalla framed five questions of law before referring the matter to the full bench of three judges for adjudicating on the issues. The development is significant as Punjab MLAs’ Cooperative House Building Society with nearly 100 members was formed way back in 2000-01 by pooling in Rs 5 lakh each. The members were each entitled to 500 sq yard plot.
According to the agreement with Tata, each MLA was to get Rs 82.5 lakh and a flat each in lieu of their plot.
The petition which is moved by around 10 former and present Punjab MLAs, including Punjab’s former speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, claimed that the Income Tax Department had wrongly issued notices to pay ‘capital gain’ on amount they were yet to receive.
Relief for students
Giving a much-needed relief to hundreds of students preparing for undergraduate medical courses, the court in its interim order on Friday made it clear that the students who have passed their Class 10 examinations from outside Punjab can also apply for MBBS courses in the state. The interim orders will be effective till July 2 when the case would come up for hearing again.
Earlier this month, the court had put a stay on Punjab government’s recent notification mentioning eligibility condition of ‘Class 10 from Punjab schools,’ regarding admission to its 85 per cent state quota seats in the MBBS.
