Minister Joshi’s election under HC scanner
Tuesday, 04/11/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20141104/punjab.htm#4
Chandigarh : Punjab Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi’s election from Amritsar North has come under the judicial scanner. An advocate has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, alleging that Joshi had committed “election-related frauds”.
Advocate Vaneet Mahajan alleged that Joshi, in his nomination papers, had claimed that his name was on the electoral list. But an inquiry by the Election Commission of India had found this claim to be false and fabricated.
The petitioner said that Joshi had been elected on the basis of a false and fabricated claim. “He is not a voter on any electoral list in Punjab and as such he does not possess the basic qualifications specified… to hold a seat in the Assembly…”
The petition was placed before the Bench of Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Raj Rahul Garg. The Bench fixed November 25 as the next date of hearing. Seeking directions for declaring Joshi “not entitled” to sit in the state Assembly, he has sought directions for treating the Amritsar North constituency seat as vacant.
His counsel Narender Hooda and Sidhu Hooda said Joshi’s continuance as member of the Assembly, when he did not possess the basic statutory qualification, would be tantamount to a fraud on the Constitution and a subversion of democracy.
They said papers were filed nominating Joshi as BJP candidate on January 11, 2012. In these papers, his postal address was mentioned as 11, Medical Enclave, Amritsar. It was stated that his name appeared at serial number 498 (Part 98) of the electoral rolls for the Amritsar North constituency.
Cheema’s pre-arrest bail confirmed
About a fortnight after the arrest of Punjab Inspector-General of Police Gautam Cheema in a molestation case was stayed, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today confirmed the bail.
“Keeping in view the fact that the petitioner has joined the investigation, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the interim bail granted by this court vide order dated October 16 is made absolute….The petitioner shall not leave the country without prior permission of the court,” Justice Jitendra Chauhan ruled.
His counsel Karanvir Singh Khehar had earlier claimed that the accused had left for election duty on March 19, the day the alleged molestation took place.In an attempt to substantiate his contention, he had referred to a Vigilance Bureau communication, dated July 24, to the petitioner seeking a clarification on Kricpy Khera’s complaint. In his reply, Cheema had stated that he had left for Delhi by road at 8 am on March 19 for boarding a flight to Allahabad at 02.05 pm.
The counsel claimed the complainant had earlier moved a similar complaint against one Karan Arora, which was found to be without any substance.
