Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, June 3
Facing a shortage of 38 judges and a pendency of 4,49,112 cases, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has turned down the Punjab government’s request for a probe by a sitting Judge into Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder case.
Available information suggests the High Court has made it clear to the government that it cannot spare a Judge for the purpose. Pleas by the governments and others for probe by sitting Judges into incidents are not uncommon. But never in recallable past has a sitting Judge been asked to look into a matter by the High Court. At the same time, inquiries by District and Sessions Judges and other judicial officers on the basis of directions issued by the High Court are not out of the ordinary.
The only time the High Court suo motu took upon itself the task of holding an inquiry by recording evidence and statements in the past was more than 12 years back in the “dead man walking case”.
The High Court Bench of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Jitendra Chauhan had then directed the State of Punjab to pay a compensation of Rs 1 crore to five persons implicated in the case. The barely credible tale of conspiracy and intrigue had come alive with the surfacing of “murdered man” Jagsir Singh. Those implicated remained behind bars for five years. One of the victims of implication had ended his life.
Punjab government had on Monday written to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for inquiry by a sitting Judge of the High Court. In his letter, Anurag Verma, Principal Secretary of Home Affairs and Justice Department, had written: “The Government is very concerned about this serious incident and would like to get to the root of the issue to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. I have been directed to convey the request of the Hon’ble Chief Minister for the Hon’ble Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court to get conducted an enquiry headed by a sitting Judge of the Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard.”
Sidhu Moosewala killing: High Court turns down Punjab govt plea for probe
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